Save the Children and EsadeEcPol suggest ways of reducing socio-economic segregation in education whilst ensuring a free choice of school
Socioeconomic segregation in Spanish primary schools is amongst the highest in the OECD, and even higher than in secondary schools, behind only Lithuania and Turkey, with the Madrid Region in the number one spot. On the basis of TIMSS figures (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) analysed for the first time in Spain, Save the Children and EsadeEcPol (Esade Center for Economic Policy) have drafted the report “Diversity and freedom: reducing socio-economic segregation in education whilst permitting free choice of school”, in which they propose a series of feasible proposals for reducing segregation in the classroom whilst allowing a free choice of school. The authors of the report, Álvaro Ferrer, an expert in fair education at Save the Children, and Lucas Gortázar, senior fellow in education and head of research at EsadeEcPol, propose several measures, some with a proven track record in other countries, such as changing the algorithm for allocating places, funding schools according to their degree of vulnerability, and increasing the weight of socio-economic considerations in admission criteria.
“The concept of educational freedom being debated is incomplete: freedom involves both the choice of school – a statutory right – and giving children an education with the same rights to freely choose what they want to be in life and to participate to the full in a democratic, diverse society. High rates of segregation in education is a threat to the fairness, quality and also the freedom of our education system,” said Catalina Perazzo, head of political and social incidence at Save the Children.
“Segregation in education must be addressed by education policies; it is a serious problem that will worsen in future years. Our response is to offer a down-to-earth, specific and politically feasible proposal that enhances students’ opportunities whilst respecting or even increasing families’ freedom. We hope that this proposal will enable Spain’s autonomous regions to make progress on this issue and enable the education system to break the deadlock and political polarisation affecting it so much”, emphasised Toni Roldán, director of EsadeEcPol.
Reducing segregation in education in Spain
Excessive segregation (or little diversity) in education can become an obstacle to equal opportunities and an effective educational system, leading to more drop-outs and poor results amongst students and more management problems in highly complex educational establishments. Several international bodies like the OECD and UNESCO have already issued warnings about the potential economic and social fallout of excessive segregation in education.
The document therefore suggests several solutions including some with proven track records in other countries, e.g. funding schools according to the vulnerable students they teach, giving guidance on how to avoid segregation and achieve the highest possible standards in all educational establishments, and changing the algorithm for allocating places (known as the Boston mechanism) in order to ensure more diverse schools and fairer selection processes.
The proposal put forward by Save the Children and EsadeEcPol also contemplates the need to increase the weight of socioeconomic considerations (family income or level of education) in admission criteria, and eliminate discretional points and points for the children of former students from priority criteria, which currently give high-income families an even greater advantage in certain autonomous regions.
The authors of the report also insist on promoting a system with places earmarked for two groups, i.e. socially advantaged and socially disadvantaged students, adjusted to the social structure of the setting, and also a new way of dealing with mid-term admissions (often foreign students or late starters), which usually send this type of student to educational establishments that already have segregation issues, thereby aggravating their situation. Finally, they also mention the need for better information and guidance for families choosing a school.
