Abstract

Educational vulnerability in Latin America which results in students poor performance in cognitive tests, especially amongst those belonging to socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, is here analyzed. To this purpose, data from PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) is used, as well as previous studies conducted on PISA national outcomes. Essentially, we show the impact of socio-economic background of students on their learning achievements. Using evidence and knowledge accumulated by international sociological research, we define the factors that mostly affect negative school performance, with emphasis on early childhood education.