Reducing inequality in educational opportunity

In all national and international pupil performance tests, the family backgrounds of the pupils proves, almost without exception, to be the strongest performance-influencing factor by far. The fourth and last study on the contribution of economics to the educational debate deals with how educational policy can improve the equality of educational opportunity. Based on the results of microeconomic studies of international pupil performance tests, the determinants of international differences in the inequality of educational opportunity for children from different backgrounds are identified. The findings are that the performance differences between pupils from well-educated parents and children from less-educated social classes are not as large in countries with a highly developed system of preschool education and where the age of school streaming is delayed; this is accomplished without an accompanying loss in performance. On the other hand, the researchers found no systematic link between all-day schools and improved performance.