Equity, equality and diversity-putting educational justice in the Nordic model to a test

Abstract

Equity, equality and diversity are often linked to educational policy within the Nordic countries in the form of goals and principles. This can be traced back to the common educational tradition of these countries within the Nordic model of education. Because the terms are often used interchangeably, it seems appropriate to first grasp the theoretical and philosophical understanding of the terms before concrete educational policy measures can be assessed regarding to these goals. The chapter provides an overview of the terms and concretises educational policy measures to achieve equity, equality and diversity in the context of the Nordic countries. Today, societal developments and political changes call into question the common ground of the Nordic countries when it comes to matters of educational equity. Among other things, it will be discussed what contribution large scale international comparative studies can make to understanding equity, equality and diversity.