Inequality of educational outcome and inequality of educational opportunity in the Netherlands during the 20th century

Inequality of Educational Outcome and Inequality of Educational Opportunity in the Netherlands during the 20th Century Maarten L. Buis The influence of social background on educational attainment involves a paradox: On the one hand, it is a good thing that parents care about their children and want to help them attain the best possible educational outcome. On the other hand, it seems unfair to many that children would have an educational advantage only because they have the “right” parents. One of the tasks of the education system is to alleviate this paradox by providing resources independent of the parents, which can counteract the disadvantage faced by children of parents with fewer social and economic resources. The extent to which the education system fails in reaching this goal – that is, the inequality of access in education – is the subject of this dissertation.