Distributive Values and Disadvantaged Potential High Achievers

This paper focuses on disadvantaged potential high achievers, i.e. students who should stand a good chance of getting good academic results, but whose personal circumstances and/or social background may give them a lesser chance of academic achievement. There is variation of natural potential on many dimensions within each socio-economic group. So one issue of justice or equity in education is the unequal achievement between high achieving students with high socio-economic status and students with lower socio-economic status. The lack of suitable support to the latter group is a social justice issue. In Educational Goods: Values, Evidence and Decision-Making, Brighouse et al. introduce a framework to assess fairness in education policy. It is based on the values of ‘adequacy’, ‘equality’, and ‘benefiting the less advantaged’. My paper examines how disadvantaged potential high achievers may be affected by education policy that is primarily based on one of these values. My analysis indicates that disadvantaged potential high achievers may be denied fair challenge in education systems that focus on either of these three values. However, ‘equality’ implemented based on its actual principles may provide a better baseline for fair challenge for such students than the others. If the value of ‘equality’ were applied in relation to all disadvantaged students, potential high achievers from disadvantaged backgrounds should get a more suitable education, contributing to their flourishing. To apply ‘equality’ fairly, however, measures may be needed to ensure fair implementation and active recognition that disadvantaged potential high achievers deserve suitable challenge just like any other students. This is often not recognized.