La desigualdad socioeconómica y su efecto en el rendimiento académico en el sistema de educación de México

Abstract

The challenges currently facing the Mexican education system must be tackled without delay, notwithstanding the progress that has been made over the past decade. A preliminary step to developing appropriate strategies to compensate for the uneven results obtained by students as a result of socioeconomic and cultural factors was to analyze existing social and educational inequalities, together with other variables, such as school climate and resources. We collected information via participant observation and documentary analysis, using materials such as UNESCO’s Second Comparative and Explanatory Regional Study, and the Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación de México [National Institute for the Evaluation of Education in Mexico] in order to further our knowledge of this complex area of study. The results we obtained confirm that formal education in Mexico in no way guarantees effective equality of opportunity, nor does it reduce the social inequalities stemming from socioeconomic context and family background; on the contrary it reproduces, multiplies and even intensifies the differences that exist before the pupil has even entered the school system.