Jishnu Das will discuss new research on equal opportunity and test scores. Children born to families with lower socio-economic status have fewer years of schooling. In the U.S., such low levels of intergenerational mobility in education are directly tied to test scores: children from low SES households have lower test scores, which negatively impacts their likelihood of going to college. In fact, there is no direct effect of SES on college attendance once test scores are controlled for.
In low-income countries, the data required to look at this link between learning and (further) schooling are just becoming available. In these emerging data, test scores are not an equalizer: direct effects of SES on schooling remain large and significant and the biggest differences emerge as children from low SES households start dropping out from post-primary education. Jishnu will discuss why expanding access to post-primary education remains a top priority.
Presenter:
- Jishnu Das, Lead Economist, Development Research Group (Human Development Team), World Bank
Chair:
- Susannah Hares, Global Education Co-Director & Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development
