Economic crisis and equal opportunities: response of management teams in Catalonia (Spain) to educational inequalities.

Abstract

The economic crisis has had an impact at many levels, including education. In Spain, little in-depth research has been done on its effect on the education system and the profile of those most affected. Given the difficulty of accessing reliable information on these issues, our study consists of a survey of representatives of management teams of primary education centers (6-12 years) in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. This profile of respondents allowed us to obtain indirect knowledge of what is experienced—and in our opinion suffered—in schools, albeit more in some than in others. The results suggest that the crisis has significantly affected families and schools, but especially the most vulnerable families, most often enrolled in public schools. The factors that most influence the existence of inequalities are attributed to families, while less responsibility is assigned to schools and the education system. All this occurs in a context in which a significant reduction of economic and human resources is recognized in part of the system.