Educational inequality has traditionally been one of the main objects of study in research on schooling, whether from sociological, pedagogical, psychological or social intervention approaches. Since the 1960s, there have been intense debates within these disciplines about the most convenient theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding and explaining this inequality, its causes and consequences (Martínez García, 2004; Tarabini and Curran, 2015). In subsequent years, concern about educational inequality has progressively entered the field of public policy, a point on which both sides of the political spectrum will coincide. From progressive perspectives, educational inequalities would hinder effective equality of opportunities regardless of social origin. From conservative views, this inequality means an inefficient use of public resources and a "loss of talents" with negative consequences for economic development, an idea based on the Human Capital perspective (Perrenoud, 2006: 81-83).
Today, the fight against educational inequality is integrated as a fundamental part of school policies at the international level. In the European context, the European Commission's Education and Training Monitor annual report (2021) points out that, although significant progress has been made, characteristics such as social class, ethnic and national origin and gender still retain an important influence on individuals' educational trajectories. This inequality is manifested in terms of access (different possibilities of accessing the different routes and levels within the education system), process (differences in the day-to-day relationship with the institution and in the quality of learning) and outcomes (differences as reflected in the classic performance indicators: qualifications, diplomas), with all three dimensions being interrelated.
However, there are major disagreements on both diagnoses and potential solutions to these inequalities. Indeed, the very meaning of educational equity (what is to be understood by an ‘equal education’) is contested. For some perspectives, equity means 'fair' inequality, i.e. not mediated by social determinants, and resulting solely from individual effort and ability. Other views question whether pure capabilities, which exist independently of social factors, can be rewarded, and emphasise universal access to school knowledge and skills (Bolívar, 2013). Similarly, proposals to alleviate educational inequalities have been very diverse, and have focused on different aspects of the system: didactics, curriculum, interactions in classroom, the distribution of students among the different schools, the structuring of the different levels or stages, the division between itineraries, etc. In addition, there are initiatives that have tried to go beyond the school, acting on other areas related to educational inequality (leisure and free time, family, labour market…).
A review of the various measures and proposals against educational inequality reveals important contradictions. Analyses of these guidelines sometimes lead to very different conclusions about their effect on educational inequality. On occasions, measures that were intended to make education more inclusive have ended up having the opposite effects to those intended or have produced new forms of inequality, pushing vulnerable students to the margins of the school system (Fernández Llera and Muñiz Pérez, 2012; Escudero Muñoz and Martínez Domínguez, 2010).
The aim of this paper is to analyse the different dilemmas and contradictions surrounding the policy against educational inequality in the Spanish context. Based on a qualitative analysis of the discourses of key stakeholders in the field of education, we identify the main conflicting positions, their arguments and the unresolved debates. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms at work in educational inequality and to help to overcome existing dilemmas in the fight against it.