S. students' performance on international comparisons of educational achievement. The public discussion centering on cross-national differences in education systems sparked this study in which the author argues that the connection between 'economic inequality and educational achievement' in affluent societies is an unspoken and far reaching factor that is ignored. Analysis of data from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment and other sources show us that egalitarian countries have higher average achievement, higher percentages of very highly skilled students, and lower percentages of very low-skilled students than do less egalitarian countries. These patterns demonstrate that egalitarianism and educational excellence are compatible goals for affluent societies. The author discusses the implications of these findings for educational and economic policy in the United States. .
The article lists and describes a newly developed Teacher Cultural Beliefs Scale (TCBS). The TCBS assesses multicultural and egalitarian beliefs about diversity Both of these belief systems reflect favorable attitudes toward immigrant students, then the list the differences in how cultural diversity is is accommodated most effectively in schools. Results from a first study with 433 beginning teachers supported the two-factor structure and the measurement invariance of the scale. Results from a second study with 340 teacher candidates and educational science students demonstrated that advocates of multiculturalism and egalitarianism are equally trying to diffuse biased reactions, yet they differ on their ideas of how to foster assimilation without prejudice.
Kell, C. (2011). Inequalities and crossings: Literacy and the spaces-in-between. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(6), 606-13. doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.02.006.
This author discusses Jan Blommaert's work which demonstrates the ways in which dialogue can lose function if it is moved into different environments.