The effectiveness of equity funding policies in schools in Europe and North America: A systematic literature review

Emilie Franck and Ides Nicaise
University of Leuven, Belgium

There is some scepticism about the effectiveness of equity funding policies (EFPs). However, many studies focus only on one particular EFP in one education system. The present paper draws lessons from a review of the North American and European literature. In general, EFPs did not always meet the expectations of policymakers and educational agents. Five potential causes emerge from our review: (1) Matthew effects in the baseline resourcing of schools; (2) the ineffective use of additional resources; (3) ineffective targeting; (4) flaws in monitoring and evaluation; and (5) the general social and educational context in which EFPs are implemented.
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Authors: Emilie Franck is a PhD candidate at HIVA (Research Institute for Work and Society), University of Leuven, Belgium. She obtained a BA and MA in Sociology. She is currently pursuing a PhD on the effectiveness of educational priority policies. Her main research interests are in educational policy, equity in education and equal opportunities. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0162-3838 Email: emilie.franck@kuleuven.be Ides Nicaise has a background in economics and is research professor at HIVA (Research Institute for Work and Society, University of Leuven, Belgium. At the Department of Education Sciences of his university, he taught subjects in economics of education, lifelong learning and equal opportunities, and education and society. He is also chairing the Belgian Combat Poverty Service. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7885-0484 Email: ides.nicaise@kuleuven.be Please cite as: Franck, E. & Nicaise, I. (2022). The effectiveness of equity funding policies in schools in Europe and North America: A systematic literature review. Issues in Educational Research, 32(2), 494-512. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/franck.pdf