Social Disadvantage and Education

Social disadvantage' has many dimensions studied in various ways in the economics of education. Studies focus on its measurement, the characteristics of those experiencing it, its consequences and interventions to remedy some of its effects. Those likely to experience persistent disadvantage include lone parents, Indigenous Australians, people with disabilities and people with low educational attainment. It is children from these families whose educational progress we should closely monitor. Interventions can improve outcomes for disadvantaged children, but such programs need to be evaluated more rigorously in the future, and their evaluations released publicly to provide a sounder basis for future policy.