Equality of Educational Opportunities at Public Primary Schools in Argentina

Abstract

This paper assesses the degree of equality of educational opportunities across Argentina´s public primary schools and finds that failings at the sub-national level may be to blame for its lack. Following the literature, estimates of school quality and measures of disparity in educational opportunity are calculated. While school differences were found across provinces, even greater discrepancies were found among public schools located within provinces, which are responsible for the provision of primary education. Most importantly, inequality among public schools is found to be associated with factors that are considered socially unacceptable, such as the student´s socio-economic status even among schools financed by the same governmental unit.