Developing Indicators of Educational Equity

Compelling disparities persist among different populations of students in educational opportunities and outcomes. We still do not know what outcomes would serve as the best indicators of progress towards reducing these gaps. In this study, the Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council (NRC) will develop national indicators that policymakers can use to define and measure equity in education from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education, and school and non-school influences on outcomes. The goal of the study is to define, measure, monitor, and improve educational equity on a large scale. The study will address opportunity and achievement gaps between different populations of students, including by income, racial, ethnic, or linguistic origins. The researchers will use indicator systems, large-scale surveys, and data sets of early-childhood, K–12, and postsecondary education to examine students’ opportunities to learn; their performance, behavior, and engagement in school; and other relevant inputs, such as family poverty