Despite significant progress over the last few decades, 61 million children remain out of school, around half of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Quality of education in schools is often abysmal. In response, governments and donors, as part of their commitment to achieve Education for All by 2015, pledged that the priority is not only to get children into school but also provide them with quality education and respond to their learning needs. What is most effective in getting children into school, keeping them there and ensuring that they learn? There is huge diversity in the 75 studies analysed in a recent 3ie review, including the ways in which each intervention tries to influence behaviour and improve schooling. Interventions tackle both the supply and demand side, for example some are aimed at teachers or schools to improve the delivery of education, while others are targeted at children, providing scholarships, uniforms, deworming pills or food (Figure 1). The message is encouraging: overall programmes get children in school and improve learning. But of course, some work better than others.