The health emergency has stress-tested the education systems. What has been learned from the experience? And how can that be applied to lessons while seeking to ensure that 'building back better' is an evidence-informed undertaking? In this report, the authors identify ten lessons from the crisis of 2020-2021 that should be used to inform planning for the reconstruction of education in the long term: (1) The crisis has reinforced the need for adaptive, agile policymaking; (2) Meeting the equity challenge depends on data, detail and deliberate action; (3) The best external support for teachers comes from other teachers; (4) School leadership matters; (5) Without effective assessment for learning, it is impossible to meet the needs of individual students; (6) Great teaching and learning are not enough: schools need to address the wellbeing of students and teachers; (7) Access to technology is necessary but not sufficient: many teachers urgently need training in digital pedagogy; (8) Technology solutions must be accessible -- and include a no-tech safety net; (9) Parental and community resources must be harnessed to support learning; and (10) Effective support for girls must be prioritised in plans for reopening and learning recovery. The authors arrived at these ten lessons through a thorough global review of a range of sources including policy documents and research findings and through a series of interviews with senior leaders in some of the organisations and programmes featured. [This report was written with Susy Ndaruhutse and Ruth Naylor.]