Tensions in the pursuit of equal opportunities
A case study of an innovative secondary school
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11160248 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pomme Van De Weerd (0000-0002-4746-7420, Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Society Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 2407-2421 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-1926 • E-ISSN: 1469-3518 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/berj.4019 |
| OpenAlex | W4397035706 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 23 |
Equal opportunities in the context of education can be interpreted as ensuring equitable access to certain kinds of education (e.g. an academic track) or as equal opportunities to lead a fulfilling life regardless of the educational route followed (e.g. vocational or academic). These interpretations are in tension: the former implies a hierarchy where some forms of education are considered better than others, whereas the latter requires that they are all considered valuable. This paper presents a case study of a secondary school in the Netherlands that pursued both interpretations of equal opportunities and made systemic reforms to achieve this. Building on interviews, focus groups and participant observation with students, staff and management, the paper analyses the tension these actors experienced between the two interpretations of equal opportunities. It is argued that this stems from a societal context that endorses the first interpretation of equal opportunities but aligns less with the second interpretation. The analysis shows that individual institutions like schools have limited power to shift narratives surrounding educational tracks, especially when these do not align with prevailing trends in society. Additionally, the paper underlines the value of applying analysis of different interpretations of equal opportunities, which is usually undertaken by theoretical work, to empirical data
Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Sociology · Education Systems and Policy · Higher Education Research Studies · Psychology · School Choice and Performance
Models of Secondary Education and Social Inequality
Skills, positional good or social closure? The role of education across structural–institutional labour market settings
Educational Systems and the Trade-Off between Labor Market Allocation and Equality of Educational Opportunity
Solving the equity–equality conceptual dilemma
Taming the Conflict over Educational Equality
Whom Must We Treat Equally for Educational Opportunity to be Equal?
Fair Opportunity in Education
Being ‘the lowest’
Overcoming vocational prejudice
Sorting or mixing? Multi‐track and single‐track schools and social inequalities in a differentiated educational system
Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences‐ in‐Differences Evidence Across Countries
The Beautiful Risk of Education
Unpacking Detracking
Degrees of influence
Against Meritocracy
Achievement Inequality and the Institutional Structure of Educational Systems
The Unfulfillable Promise of Meritocracy
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |