Educational equity: Poor Parents, Poor Opportunities?

All children in Germany can graduate from high school and reach their full potential - at least in theory. In reality, many students are denied the opportunity to pursue higher education. After all, educational success depends on more than just hard work, talent and intelligence. There is also a strong social bias: Students' backgrounds still have a significant impact on their educational opportunities. In our education system, children from socially disadvantaged families or with an immigrant background are less likely to receive a good education than their peers from better-off families or without an immigrant background. Boys and girls also have different educational opportunities in different areas.

The problem of inadequate educational equity is not new and has been documented by academic studies for decades. However, issues of educational equity are becoming increasingly important because, in our highly developed society, education is a critical foundation for individual life planning, for training skilled workers, and for social participation.