This technical brief provides a literature review on equity in education in Europe. It updates a report produced for the European Commission in 2006 and provides insights into the research and policies that have been undertaken during the last decade. Its focus is on early childhood and care, primary and secondary education and on the different aspects related to equity in education that have surfaced during the last years. Therefore, this brief includes a broader set of topics concerning equity in education, such as regional asymmetries, gender inequality and immigrants' integration. In this brief, equity "is viewed as the extent to which individuals can take advantage of education and training, in terms of opportunities, access, treatment and outcomes" (European Commission 2006, p. 2). Achieving equity in education is a particularly important policy priority, as the evolution, causes and consequences of social, educational and economic inequalities have been a hotly debated and controversial issue given the recent economic crisis in Europe. For these reasons, this brief provides an overview of recent evidence-based research and policy measures, which can inform future policy initiatives in Europe aimed at increasing equity in early childhood, primary and secondary education. In sum, the evidence reviewed indicates that, taking a life-cycle approach to education, equity has to be achieved at the earliest education stages. In other words, the provision of equitable and quality early childhood education and care needs to be a priority in any equity considerations. Furthermore, the quality of teachers plays a prominent role in achieving high and equitable educational results. The results for achieving equity through school choice depend heavily on its specific contextual implementation. Current indicators suggest that there are large differences in educational equity between and within EU Member States. Similarly, distinguishing among gender and immigrants' status reveals significant gaps among various subpopulations, and these specific gaps have to be considered in future policies.
