A child’s access to education is often determined by circumstances such as gender, location, conflict, disability and the family’s socioeconomic status – factors that exist before the child is born. These barriers exclude 61 million primary school age children from school and deny them a fair chance to reach their full potential. Worst, exclusion from school not only thwarts children’s individual potential but also fuels intergenerational cycles of poverty and disadvantage. It robs societies of a source of dynamic growth and development, and a chance to build social cohesion and reduce tensions that can spark violence. Every girl and boy, regardless of who they are or where they live, is entitled to nothing less than full and complete access to quality education. But many of the world’s poorest and most marginalized children are denied this basic human right.