Education and social justice: Understanding and tackling inequalities in educational outcomes

Education is, according to Nelson Mandella, ‘the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world’. In this argument, education is crucial for promoting meritocracy, reducing poverty and fostering social justice. It transforms lives. This session explores the meaning and measurement of inequality in education, primarily by social class, paying particular attention to A level results and participation in HE in England. Whilst the long-term evidence shows some improvements in outcomes, especially for women, socio-economic inequalities remain. Efforts to explain persistent class inequalities in educational outcomes are reviewed and policies to tackle inequality are assessed. Can education really change the world?