Causes and Effects of School Socio-Economic Composition? A Review of the Literature

Abstract

It is well known that socio-economic status (SES) at both the student and school level is associated with educational outcomes. Students from higher social backgrounds, on average, have greater educational outcomes than their less privileged peers. Also, a student that attends a school that enrols students from primarily high social backgrounds will, on average, have greater educational outcomes than if she attended a school that enrolled students from low social backgrounds. School SES is related to student outcomes through a complex array of factors, including the quality of curriculum and instruction, resources and the learning environment. This chapter reviews the research literature about the relationship between school socio-economic composition and student outcomes, the mechanisms by which the relationship is enacted in schools, as well as the structural features of education systems that influence how students from varying social backgrounds are distributed across schools. I conclude with suggestions for future research.

What makes a difference for further advancement of engineers: socioeconomic background or education programs?

“…Education offered at lower education levels (such as primary and secondary school) enhances productivity/human capital (Perry, 2012 ; Triventi, 2013 ; Tynkkynen et al, 2012 ). Students accrue literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and other basis ones while at school.…”

“…Perry ( 2012 ) and Alam and Forhad ( 2021a ) argued that schools with more students from a higher SES often secure higher scores compared to the national average. Students with lower SES studying at such schools also perform well, which may suggest a group of high-SES students typically create a differentiated school environment where good scores can be attained.…”

“…Perry ( 2012 ) argued that the opposite is true for students with lower SES. When these students are grouped in a school, this simply exacerbates the poorer education they receive.…”

Российская Школа: Начало XXI Века

“…Различия в академических достижениях могут быть связаны с характеристиками не только самих учащихся, но и образовательных организаций, в которых они проходят обучение. Согласно результатам исследований социально-экономическое положение учащихся является одним из наиболее значимых факторов академических достижений как на индивидуальном уровне, так и в качестве характеристики целой школы [Sirin, 2005;White, 1982;Coleman, 1966;Perry, 2012]. Социально-эконо-мическое положение (СЭП) индивида определяется его положением в социальной структуре общества и доступом к различным видам капитала [Mueller, Parcel, 1981].…”

School Environment

“…Structural/institutional characteristics of the school do not seem to directly affect student achievement, but may alter classroom processes, which could affect achievement. Studies consistently indicate that students perform better in schools where more children come from families of high socioeconomic status (SES), regardless of their individual SES; this effect is mediated through the quality of the learning environment, such as quality of curriculum and instruction and level of support within the teacher-student relations (Perry 2012). Meta-analyses have found small to moderate positive associations between school resources, such as per pupil expenditure, and student achievement (e.g., Greenwald et al 1996), although translating resources to student academic performance depends on how these resources are used for improving more proximal processes in the classroom, such as instructional quality (Archibald 2006).…”