Educational equity is the principle and policy objective that educational opportunities, resources, participation, and outcomes should not be systematically determined by socially disadvantaged characteristics such as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, language background, or place of residence [1][2][3][4]. It refers to fairness in both access (entry and participation) and conditions of learning (quality of teaching, support, and learning environment), as well as in the distribution of educational results across groups [1][2]. Educational equity is characterized by efforts to remove structural barriers, reduce unjust disparities, and provide differentiated support where needed so that learners can achieve comparable educational chances under fair conditions [2][3][4]. In research and policy, it is treated as distinct from overall average performance: a system may perform well on aggregate indicators while remaining inequitable if outcomes are strongly stratified by background .
- educational equity
- equity in education
- equal opportunity
- educational disparities
Education Practices and Challenges • Philosophy • Arts and Humanities • Social Sciences
References
- Pedro Jurado de Los Santos; Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero; José-Antonio Marín-Marín; Rebeca Soler Costa; The Term Equity in Education: A Literature Review with Scientific Mapping in Web of Science. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 3526. [CrossRef]
- Abieyuwa Ohonba; Advancing Equity in Education: Progress Towards Inclusive and Equal Access for the Vulnerable in South Africa. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 1639. [CrossRef]
- OECD. Equity and Quality in Education; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD): Paris, France, 2012. [CrossRef]
- UNESCO. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education—All Means All; UNESCO: Paris, 2020. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373718.