This book aims to make a contribution to the theory, research and
practice on quality and equity in education by providing a comprehensive
overview of these two dimensions of educational effectiveness and
proposing a methodological instrument that may be used to measure the
contribution that each school can make to promoting equity. The
importance of using this instrument is demonstrated by analysing results
of various effectiveness studies conducted over the last decade. The
book draws upon research across the world, especially research conducted
in the Europe, the United States, and Australasia. It is shown that
promoting equity has no negative effect on the promotion of quality. The
importance of using this methodological instrument to identify factors
that promote both quality and equity at different educational levels
(i.e. teacher, school and educational system) is stressed. The book also
demonstrates how we can measure stability and changes in the
effectiveness status of schools over time in terms of fostering quality
and equity. In addition it underlines the importance of identifying
factors measuring changes in the effectiveness status of schools in
terms of equity and points to the alternative strategies that can be
used at school and system level. In our attempt to encourage the further
development and use of this methodology for school improvement purposes,
we demonstrate how experimental studies can be conducted to discover
whether and under which conditions the proposed methodology can help
schools promote both quality and equity. Finally, implications for
school evaluation, research, educational policy and practice are drawn.
In this way, the book contributes significantly to the debate on how
quality and equity can be achieved and encourages policy-makers and
practitioners not to view these two dimensions of effectiveness as being
in competition with each other but as constituting the major objectives
of any reform policy and/or improvement effort at school and/or national
levels.
