Contents -- Series Editor's Preface - Key Debates in Educational Policy -- Introduction -- Why discuss educational equality now? -- The structure of this volume -- Meritocracy -- The benefit of the least advantaged -- Notes -- References -- 1 Educational Equality and School Reform -- Introduction -- How the education systems contribute to educational inequality -- What is educational equality and why does it matter? -- How much does educational equality matter? -- Moving towards educational equality -- Concluding comments -- Notes -- References -- 2 Educational Equality in the Shadow of the Reagan Era -- Introduction -- How education systems contribute to inequality -- What is educational equality and why does it matter? -- How much does educational equality matter? -- Moving towards educational equality -- Concluding comments -- Notes -- References -- 3 Moving from Educational Equality to Improving the Education of the Least Advantaged -- Introduction -- What is educational equality and why is it desirable? -- Middle-class families as barriers to educational equality -- The illegitimate self-indulgence of parental partiality -- The virtues of choice -- The permissiveness of legitimate parental partiality -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Afterword -- Meritocracy revisited -- Values as motivating factors in individual behaviour -- Revisiting the benefit of the least advantaged -- The voice of equality in the conversation of citizens -- Notes -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- L -- M -- N -- P -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W -- Y.