The EU-funded LEARN research project has published its first comprehensive report with empirical findings from all participating countries. In their working paper ‘Spatial contexts and educational inequalities in European countries’, Prof. Dr. Corinna Kleinert and Dr. Felix Bittmann from the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi) provide a synthesis of the nine country studies. The report shows which factors particularly drive inequalities in Europe – and where reforms can be implemented.
The focus is on how social background, spatial contexts and institutional conditions shape the educational trajectories of young people. The case studies within the LEARN project cover nine European countries: Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom. Based on high-quality longitudinal survey and register data, the researchers show that
Social background remains the strongest and most consistent predictor of educational success
Regardless of the national context, socio-economic background remains the most reliable predictor of which educational paths are taken and which qualifications are achieved. Although the social composition of spatial contexts such as school environment, class or neighbourhood also has an impact, their effects are significantly more moderate. Nevertheless, the results show that these factors can certainly reinforce or mitigate educational inequalities.
Institutional structures can reinforce or mitigate inequalities
Institutional frameworks play a decisive role in this regard. Education systems with early performance selection, such as the German school system, offer fewer opportunities to compensate for social inequalities later in the educational process. In a more permeable system, a good school or a supportive environment can more easily compensate for social disadvantages at home. In a highly structured system, on the other hand, school often acts as an amplifier: it cements existing differences and makes it difficult for those affected to correct them later on their own, due to early determination.
Action that can be taken now in education policy
The synthesis derives clear recommendations for education policy: effective measures against educational inequalities must start early, for example through targeted support in nursery and primary school. Equally important is the design of the institutional framework – from more permeable transitions between educational pathways to measures that counteract residential and school segregation. Only through a combination of early support, inclusive structures and active management can existing inequalities be reduced in the long term.
About LEARN
The international consortium examines educational inequalities from a Europe-wide perspective and brings together expertise from educational research, social sciences, psychology and economics.
Details about the project
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Policy briefs from the project