7 takeaways from the latest OECD report on Spanish education

A new OECD report focused on analyzing how socioeconomic factors affect student achievement was recently published. The report covers all OECD countries, but some country notes, including a spanish one have been published. We summarize it in these 7 points: Survey: As a percentage of low-achieving students, Spain is in relative terms within OECD’s average in math (24% vs. 23% OECD), reading (18% vs. 18% OECD) and science (18% vs. 18% OECD). Evolution: Regarding the data of the previous report of 2003, Spain has continued to increase the percentage of low achievers in mathematics (1% increase) and the percentage has fallen in reading (3% decrease) and science (4%).

Spain has continued to increase the percentage of low achievers in mathematics (1%), but the percentage has declined in reading (3%) and science (4%) compared to the 2003 study.

Preschool: Students who attended preschool tend do better in math. The overall percentage of low achievers in mathematics with no preschool education stands at 40%, while that number drops to 30% for students with 1 year of preschool, and to 20% for those with more than  more 1 year of preschool. Truancy: This is a problem that affects Spain disproportionately. 43% of low achievers in mathematics missed at least one day of school, compared with OECD’s average of 23%. Spain has one of the highest percentages of all countries.

Regarding truancy, Spain has one of the highest percentages of all countries analyzed in the report

Homework: Spanish low achievers in mathematics spend more hours doing homework than the rest of the OECD countries (4.7 hours / week vs. 3.5 OECD).

According to the study there is no one single risk factor that determines this student under-achivement, but a cluster of them

In Spain’s case, the likelihood of low scores in mathematics is higher in students with bigger socioeconomic disadvantages, who missed early childhood education, have failed a year, or have enrolled in Initial Vocational Training programs. For more information access OECD’s website.