DSOC 25A35 - Educational Inequality and Education policy

Receiving an adequate level of education can be seen as a fundamental social right. Yet, the extent and ways in which education is provided vary substantially across countries, social groups, and over-time. This course is designed to introduce students to the study of educational inequality and education policy. We begin the course by reviewing the main goals, achievements and outstanding challenges in education policy in the early 21st century. Specifically, we will take a historical perspective to review the significant progress made with respect to providing education to large parts of the world's population and with respect to reducing gender inequality in educational attainment. We will then turn to one key policy challenge of the early 21st century—reducing the inequalities in educational attainment between individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds. We will discuss normative arguments for why we may care to understand and address inequality of educational opportunity. Moreover, we will examine the social mechanisms that account for educational inequalities between individuals from different social backgrounds and discuss whether and how policies and social interventions can reduce these educational inequalities. The structure of the course follows the early life-course and educational trajectory of individuals to critically examine educational policies on early childhood education, the notion of ‘social investment', ability tracking at the secondary level, the function of school autonomy, the effectiveness of education policy to equalize access to elite institutions, the role of large crises — such as the COVID-19 pandemic — in exacerbating existing inequalities, and how education policy can protect children's learning in the face of such crises. The course aims to foster students' ability to think like a social scientist and to critically approach and examine major issues of educational inequality. It seeks to equip students with the conceptual tools and substantive knowledge to address current questions on educational inequality.

Bastian BETTHAEUSER

Séminaire

English

Spring 2024-2025

The final grade will consist of the following main elements: Course participation (10%), group presentation (10%), midterm exam (10%), final exam (10%), policy brief (60%).

The main objectives of the course are for students to: . Develop and practice the ability to think like a social scientist and to critically approach and examine major issues of educational inequality and education policy . Aquire the conceptual tools and substantive knowledge to effectively address current questions on educational inequality and education policy . Practice extracting key information from academic texts . Practice interpreting information and data presented as graphs, figures, and tables . Develop the ability to conduct research for and write a concise policy brief, focussing on a key societal challegenge related to educational inequality and education policy . Hone skills of interpersonal communication and teamwork, through active discussion, debate and group activites