Cross-National Comparison of the Relative Size of Lower-Tail and Upper-Tail SES Achievement Gaps

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam

Cross-national research on socioeconomic status (SES) achievement gaps often emphasizes overall gap size while neglecting where gaps are most pronounced within the SES distribution across countries. This study estimates the relative gap between students at the 50th vs. 10th percentiles and the 90th vs. 50th percentiles using OECD PISA data. Results show variation across OECD countries and a positive association with economic inequality patterns, while no evidence links the gap ratio to educational stratification.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Theoretical underpinnings of equal opportunity

Analytical expectations about where gaps emerge

Prior evidence motivating the model

AERA Open January-December 2024, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1–15 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584241269965 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2024. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Cross-National Comparison of the Relative Size of Lower-Tail and Upper-Tail SES Achievement Gaps Yuko Nonoyama-Tarumi Musashi University Sean F. Reardon Stanford University Cross-national studies on socioeconomic status (SES) achievement gaps have focused on the size of the gap and given less attention to where in the SES distribution the achievement gap tends to be relatively large within a society, and whether this location varies across countries. We estimate the relative size of achievement gaps between students at the 50th and 10th percentiles versus the 90th and 50th percentiles of SES distribution within a society, using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. We find OECD countries vary in the size of the ratio of achievement gaps at lower-tail SES and upper-tail SES. Our multivariate analyses show that the ratio is positively associated with within-country patterns of economic inequality, measured by the ratio of income inequality and the ratio of segregation at lower-tail and upper-tail SES. We do not find evidence of an association between the achievement gap ratio and patterns of educational stratification. Keywords: SES achievement gap, cross-national comparisons, educational inequality Introduction Educational inequality has been a central theme in sociology of education in the United States and cross-national research. However, much of the research has focused on the magnitude of educational inequality, for example, by examining the socioeconomic status (SES) achievement gap orthe SES gradient, but less attention is given to educational (in)equality for whom. Jencks’s (1988) typologies of conceptions of equal opportunity serve as the theoretical underpinnings of this study. Early on, Jencks pinpointed that “we (Americans) have dramatically different views about whom educational institutions should treat equally” (Jencks, 1988, p. 518) . To illustrate this conceptually, he gives an example of how a third-grade reading class teacher with a strong belief in equal opportunity may have different choices of distributing her time and attention in a classroom. The teacher may (a) give all children equal time and attention (equal distribution of resources), (b) reward children who are trying hard and showing high achievement (meritocratic distribution of resources), or (c) compensate for any disadvantage at home by giving extra attention at school (compensatory distribution of resources) . Jencks explains that American societies are always in quandary between meritocratic and compensatory conceptions of equal opportunity. Those who think that educational institution should award based on past academic effort will support meritocratic conception, whereas those that think that educational institutions should prepare runners for the next contest will hold compensatory conception of equal opportunity (Jencks, 1988) . In contrast, Chen (2021) claims that, in Japan, injustice is perceived as eliminable through identical treatment, rather than through affirming the difference and treating differentially. In such society, equal opportunity may be defined as equal distribution ofresources. As Jencks (1988) noted, different conceptions of equal educational opportunity would have different practical consequences, because these norms may shape policymakers’choices and teachers’ behaviors in the classroom. We might expect that ifa society emphasizes meritocratic or compensatory conception, the society may have larger educational inequality at the upper part of the SES distribution than at the lower tail.

FAQs

What does the study examine about SES achievement gaps?

It compares the relative size of achievement gaps in different parts of the SES distribution, focusing on lower-tail (10th vs. 50th) and upper-tail (90th vs. 50th) gaps within countries.

What data and method are used to estimate the gap ratios?

The analysis uses OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data and estimates relative achievement gaps at specified SES percentiles within each society.

Which country-level factors are associated with the gap ratio?

Multivariate analyses show the gap ratio is positively associated with within-country patterns of economic inequality, measured using income inequality and segregation at lower-tail and upper-tail SES.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam