Quality and equality in education: Reconsidering the meaning of "within-school factors"

Abstract

This paper deals with the issue of quality and equality in schools. The empirical investigation is based on data of Brazilian national assessment, mathematics, grade 4th, carried out in 2001. Findings stress that school factors associated to quality are also associated to within-school inequality. In this context, we discuss to what extent and under which conditions features associated to quality may also be associated to within school system equity.