PISA in Focus: What Can We Do to Ensure a Level Playing Field for All Students?

PISA in Focus is a series of monthly education policy-oriented notes designed to describe a PISA topic in a concise, user-friendly way. The April issue points to key aspects to consider in providing students with needed opportunities to level the playing field for all students and achieve greater equity in education beyond the exigencies of the pandemic.

Despite education systems aim to provide equal learning opportunities to all students, too often, children experience individual circumstances that affect the quality of the schooling they receive and the educational path they choose. PISA has shown that students’ socio-economic status, which includes parents’ occupations and educational levels and home possessions, are predictors of performance scores in reading, mathematics and science in all countries and economies participating in PISA. As mentioned above, this policy brief addresses key aspects to achieve greater equity in education beyond the demands of the pandemic.