Published in: Educational Researcher September 30, 2015 William H. Schmidt, Michigan State University Nathan A. Burroughs, Michigan State University Pablo Zoido, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Richard T. Houang, Michigan State University Abstract
In this paper, student-level indicators of opportunity to learn (OTL) included in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment are used to explore the joint relationship of OTL and socioeconomic status (SES) to student mathematics literacy. Using multiple methods, we find consistent evidence that (a) OTL has a significant relationship to student outcomes, (b) a positive relationship exists between SES and OTL, and (c) roughly a third of the SES relationship to literacy is due to its association with OTL. These relationships hold across most countries and both within and between schools within countries. Our findings suggest that in most countries, the organization and policies defining content exposure may exacerbate educational inequalities.
The Conversation, October 26, 2015 U.S. News & World Report, October 19, 2015 The Hechinger Report, October 19, 2015 Diverse Education, October 14, 2015 The Seattle Times, October 11, 2015 Education Week, October 6, 2015 The Educator, October 6, 2015 U.S. News & World Report, September 30, 2015 The Washington Post, September 30, 2015