As children head back to school here in the United States, the fate of millions of children worldwide who benefited from U.S. investments in their basic education remains unclear. Recent estimates note that the number of out-of-school children worldwide stands at 272 million , and the number is likely to rise as global education funding faces steep cuts . On July 1, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shuttered its doors , and any remaining foreign assistance programs were transferred to the Department of State. Yet there is uncertainty about whether and where international basic education programs will find a home.

What we do know is that 163 of 165 education programs previously funded by USAID have been terminated . The two that remain — both in the country

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