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Sorting or mixing? Multi‐track and single‐track schools and social inequalities in a differentiated educational system
Author(s) -
Werfhorst Herman G.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1002/berj.3722
Subject(s) - track (disk drive) , disadvantaged , vocational education , mathematics education , fast track , sorting , tracking (education) , school choice , sociology , pedagogy , psychology , computer science , political science , economic growth , economics , bioinformatics , law , biology , programming language , operating system
In the Dutch stratified secondary educational system, schools vary in how many tracks are offered. While the tendency in the Netherlands is for schools to become smaller, a relevant policy question is whether multi‐track school settings promote equality of educational opportunity. Comparing single‐track schools at the pre‐university and pre‐vocational levels with multi‐track schools offering the same exams, and using relative geographical distance as an instrument of school choice, the analyses showed that single‐track pre‐university schools enhance the probability of obtaining a pre‐university diploma without delay, but more strongly so for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (who have a lower chance of going to such schools). The single‐track pre‐vocational schools were associated with a lower likelihood of achieving a diploma at a level higher than pre‐vocational education. Multi‐track schools within a varied system will not automatically enhance equal opportunities, as middle‐class children will also benefit from the additional options that multi‐track schools provide.