Chapter 28: School interventions to reduce intergenerational inequality

Overview & Synopsis

This chapter provides an overview of the latest empirical evidence on the extent to which specific school policies and interventions can affect social mobility. It covers the new literature showing positive effects of school spending on pupil outcomes, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also covers evidence on the specific ways in which extra resources can be used, such as reduced class sizes, one-to-one tutoring and extending school time. The latter margins are of particular interest in light of the evidence on lost learning and widening inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also review the wide body of evidence showing the importance of teacher quality in the education production function, and how the uneven distribution of teacher quality across schools can contribute to educational inequalities. Finally, we review the literatures on the sorting of pupils across schools and the role of more autonomous schools in shaping educational inequality.