Unequal Chances in Education: Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic. Edited by Petr Matějů and Jana Straková
Unequal Chances in Education: Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic. Edited by Petr Matějů and Jana Straková

Summary/Abstract: Education systems play a fundamental role in mitigating or transferring inequalities from one generation to the next. One would presume that the Czech Republic, given its egalitarian tradition and track record of redistributive social transfers, would also have developed an education system that equalises the educational opportunities of different socio-economic groups. Contrary to such presumptions, a wealth of data has shown that the Czech Republic has some of the greatest inequalities in educational access and attainment in the OECD. Students from poorer and less educated families systematically attain lower levels of education (and have a lower chance of being accepted to college) than students from richer and more educated households. Which factors best explain these educational inequalities, and what can be done to remedy them? Unequal Chances in Education [2006], edited by Petr Matějů and Jana Straková,1 is the first major work of its kind to compare the educational inequalities in the Czech Republic with those of other countries, to offer compelling explanations of the causes of Czech educational inequalities, and to highlight possible remedies.

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