The Measurement of Educational Inequality : Achievement and Opportunity
This paper proposes two related measures of educational inequality: one for educational achievement and another for educational opportunity. The former is the simple variance (or standard deviation) of test scores. Its selection is informed by cons...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111108080743 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3640 |
| Summary: | This paper proposes two related measures
of educational inequality: one for educational achievement
and another for educational opportunity. The former is the
simple variance (or standard deviation) of test scores. Its
selection is informed by consideration of two measurement
issues that have typically been overlooked in the
literature: the implications of the standardization of test
scores for inequality indices, and the possible sample
selection biases arising from the Program of International
Student Assessment (PISA) sampling frame. The measure of
inequality of educational opportunity is given by the share
of the variance in test scores that is explained by
pre-determined circumstances. Both measures are computed for
the 57 countries in which PISA surveys were conducted in
2006. Inequality of opportunity accounts for up to 35
percent of all disparities in educational achievement. It is
greater in (most of) continental Europe and Latin America
than in Asia, Scandinavia, and North America. It is
uncorrelated with average educational achievement and only
weakly negatively correlated with per capita gross domestic
product. It correlates negatively with the share of spending
in primary schooling, and positively with tracking in
secondary schools. |
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