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Patterns of school segregation in Europe

Using information from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, this report illustrates how differing demographics and educational systems in Europe can help to explain some of the differences in segregation between countries.

Due to its potential effects on fairness and economic efficiency, school segregation is a significant subject on the education policy agenda. The term ‘school segregation’ refers to variations in pupil aptitude, socioeconomic status or ethnicity between schools. The placement of pupils in schools according to these criteria may have a variety of effects on learning results. Along with segregation among schools, some education systems also utilise explicit ability-based sorting into distinct classes within schools, which may have differing effects on learning results.

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