In the first volume of the "Oxford Review of Education" Jerome Bruner (1975) showed how the upbringing of the very young is influenced by poverty, and how different kinds of upbringing shape human development. He called the paper "Poverty and childhood" and baldly stated "With respect to virtually any criterion of equal…

From a philosophical vantage point, the utility of the concepts of equality and justice is assessed in two particular areas; the claim that everyone has an equal right to an equal opportunity for education and the claim for equality between different participants (teachers, pupils) in the educational process itself. (EH)

It is argued that the mainstream of the theory on which the policy of equal educational opportunity is based has its origins in the nineteenth, as well as the twentieth, century. (Author/KM)

Argues that equal educational opportunity demands different approaches for children from different backgrounds. Compares three phases in family economic and social conditions to those of a nation. Discusses (1) exploitation of children's labor on the subsistence level, (2) children as investments for the family on the industrial level, and (3)…

This paper reports on findings from a three-year ethnographic study of 24 young people in northern England who were classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of becoming so. Drawing on conceptions of opportunity structure and educational marginality, the paper discusses the processes leading to young people becoming…

The history of access to secondary education and movements toward sexual equality in education in Great Britain between World Wars I and II are covered. The major questions raised in this period were: "Who is capable of, or eligible for, secondary education?" and "What secondary education system is most desirable?" (IS)

Expanding on his definition of equality of educational opportunity, James Coleman suggests that it is important to connote the fact that the schools' task is to reduce the unequalizing impact of students' home and school environments. (Author/KM)

A discussion of the various interpretations attached to term "equality of educational opportunity" which refocuses the debate by suggesting that a more proper formulation would use the term "reduction in inequality" rather than "equality"... Such a formulation implies that public schooling is to reduce handicaps that children face as a function of…

Criticizes approach to equal education that seeks equality of outcome as well as equality of opportunity. Discusses Spearman's theory of g that attempts to explain individual differences in intelligence. Contrasts efforts at genuinely reducing equality of outcome, including Aptitude X Treatment Interaction, Mastery Learning, and Thinking Skills…

Since a nationwide reform of pre-primary education in 2010, Ethiopia has experienced a massive expansion of pre-primary enrolment that increased tenfold in six years. Our paper aims to assess the distribution of early literacy outcomes between children who attended preschool and those who did not and explore how that distribution has changed…

The paper provides an historical but critical context for examining the relation of the pursuit of greater equality in schooling to the development of curriculum. This requires a brief account of what one means by the principle of equality, before showing the different ways in which there have been curriculum responses underpinned by philosophical…

Using data from a census of private schools in one of Lagos, Nigeria's administrative jurisdictions, this paper explores the linkages between a heterogeneous sector of private schools and issues of school access, affordability, quality, and ultimately social mobility for households at the bottom of the income distribution. Although a large private…

The American experiment with charter schools advanced on dual impulses of increasing opportunities for disadvantaged students and unleashing market competition. While critics see these independently managed schools as a form of privatisation, proponents contend that they are public schools because of funding and accountability arrangements and…

The distribution of pupils amongst schools is fundamental to concerns about equality of educational opportunity and it is for this reason that the process by which pupils are admitted to schools is of significance. This paper focuses on admissions criteria and practices used by English secondary schools in 2001 and 2008 in light of changes to…

Despite the important role played by examinations in educational stratification and mobility in China, to our knowledge there is no literature in English that investigates the impact of exams on educational attainment with empirical data. We address this gap with an investigation of how examinations shape opportunities for children of the rural…