SOWETO, South Africa — When Mduduzi Maphindikazi Mathe took charge of Bhukulani Secondary School in Soweto, the sprawling township south of Johannesburg, the dilapidated school was on the verge of being shut down. The buildings had no window panes or doors, and the classrooms were sparsely equipped with broken chalkboards and too few desks. “It was terrible,” said Mathe. “This school was a mess.”

Photo caption: A student in Kalsdorf, Austria, who has benefited from Brigitte Petritsch's advocacy of inclusion. (Rainer Max Wegscheidler)

Photo credit: Inauguration of the first Mobile Computer Laboratory at the Grenoble elementary school in the Quinta Normal district in Santiago, May 8, 2009. (Courtesy Enlaces, Education Ministry of Chile) SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile’s government spent years and more than $200 million putting computers and internet connections in almost every classroom of the country’s public schools. The kids were more than ready — but are the teachers?

Photo caption: Cynthia Vargas will be among the English teachers to test out the new pilot program starting Monday, using laptops and learning software at more than 100 schools across Costa Rica. (Alex Leff/GlobalPost) SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The melody sounded familiar, but not the lyrics. Entirely unconcerned about accuracy, a Costa Rican taxi driver was serenading his passenger with what he sensed could be the words — or at least sounds — to Elton John's "Sacrifice."