This publication focuses on the role that education can play, both in terms of conflict prevention and in the reconstruction of post-conflict societies, drawing on research in 52 conflict-affected countries and a review of 12 country studies. These case studies include Angola, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Timor Leste, Cambodia, Lebanon, El Salvador and Nicaragua, and consideration is given to how lessons drawn might be applied to recent conflict situations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Issues discussed include: the relationship between conflict, poverty and education; the challenges of reform and reconstruction; teacher training and teaching resources; governance and financing; the legacy of conflict; and the role of the World Bank in supporting education reconstruction.