Who Benefits from Income Inequality? An International Examination of Income Inequality and Student Achievement

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 14. Country-level Variations/ International Research: Session I

Abstract

This study directly tests the relationship between income inequality and student mathematics achievement. Furthermore, we examine the degree to which the relationship between income inequality and student achievement is moderated by student SES. To test these relationships, we created a database of national wealth measures and linked it with student achievement data from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results of multilevel models indicated that income inequality is negatively related to student achievement scores. Additionally, this relationship is not moderated by student SES, indicating that the relationship between income inequality and student achievement is the same for both low- and high-SES students. The results of this study suggest that nations seeking to improve student achievement can do so by decreasing income inequality.

Authors

• Christina Edmunds, Ohio State University

• Kristie J. Rowley, Brigham Young University