Details
- Publication date
- 17 February 2015
- Authors
- Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture | European Expert Network on Economics of Education (EENEE)
- Geographical scope
- European Union
- Level of education focus
- Adult education
- Early childhood education and care (ECEC)
- Higher education
- School education
- Thematic areas covered
- Educational attainment and participation in education
- Educational effectiveness and efficiency
- Governance of education
- Investment in education, economic impact of education
- Monitoring and quality assurance
- Quality and inclusive education for all
- Skills development
- Whole-school and whole-system approaches and partnerships in education
Description
This report examines how educational and skill inequalities harm individuals and economic growth. It shows that unequal access to education, especially for low-income groups, limits skill development and productivity. Countries with lower educational inequality tend to grow faster.
The report highlights two key strategies
- redistributive policies
- education reforms targeted at disadvantaged groups.
Effective interventions include quality early childhood programs, later tracking in schools, and empowering schools to innovate. Evidence shows these approaches especially benefit students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Ensuring equitable education access strengthens both fairness and economic outcomes.
Authors
Jo Blanden and Sandra McNally
Cite as
Blanden, J., McNally, S. (2015), Helping Poor Kids: Effective Policies to Reduce Educational Inequalities, EENEE Policy Briefing no. 2/2015.
