Balaj M, York HW, Sripada K, et al. - In this global systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers sought to estimate the total reductions in under-5 mortality that are correlated with increased maternal and paternal education, during distinct age intervals. Articles that evaluated the association between parental education (defined as years of schooling, highest educational attainment, or literacy) and mortality of their child at any age under 5 years were included. After exclusions, the systematic review returned 5,339 unique records, yielding 186 included studies. This is the first study to systematically quantify the global importance of education for child survival across generations. Lower maternal and paternal education were found to be risk factors for child mortality, even after controlling for other indicators of family socioeconomic status. This study provides strong evidence for universal quality education as a mechanism for achieving Sustainable Development Goal target 3.2 of reducing neonatal and child mortality.