From evidence to action: STRIDE resources to help education stakeholders navigate learning inequalities

Educational inequalities remain a key challenge across Europe, shaping learning outcomes and opportunities from an early age, tending to widen over time if unaddressed. By leveraging longitudinal data, STRIDE (Strategies for Achieving Equity and Inclusion in Education, Training and Learning in Democratic Europe) supports school stakeholders with evidence and tools to better navigate and address these inequalities across learners’ trajectories, strengthening the evidence base on how education systems can better address inequalities across Europe.

As a core partner in the project, LLLP ensures that research findings are accessible to policymakers, civil society, and education stakeholders, and that they meaningfully inform inclusive education and lifelong learning policies.

In the first quarter of 2026, four major reports have been published, each addressing a different dimension of educational inequality and highlighting the role of systemic reforms and early intervention. Together, these publications contribute to STRIDE’s objective of identifying effective policy initiatives and interventions, mapping longitudinal trends of inequalities in education, synthesising comparative evidence, and supporting more equitable education systems across Europe, providing a factual evidence base for policy reform.

In the next months, STRIDE researchers will share an Interactive Map of Educational Inequalities and Policy Reforms, a policy toolbox, and multilingual policy briefs on equity, equality, and inclusion in education and training policies across Europe.

Policy Analysis Report: 25 years of education policy reforms

The STRIDE Policy Analysis Report provides an overview of education policies implemented across EU member states, Norway and England over the last 25 years. It examines how educational reforms have been adopted across European countries and their shortcomings. Drawing on international and national policy sources, it reviews reforms implemented between 1999 and 2024 and categorises them according to the level of education and the sector involved (e.g., early childhood education and care (ECEC), school education, vocational education and training (VET), etc.) as well as their focus areas, which include addressing socio-economic disadvantage, supporting students from migrant backgrounds, assisting ethnic minorities (such as Roma communities), catering to learners with special educational needs, tackling gender inequality, and promoting inclusion for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The analysis shows a steady increase in equity-oriented reforms, particularly in the expansion of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), financial support measures, and initiatives to reduce hidden school costs. A key finding is that collaboration with families and communities reinforces pupils’ success, once more showcasing the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in education and training. 

However, the report also highlights a persistent gap in systematic public evaluation, limiting the ability to assess the long-term effectiveness of many reforms. The report is available on Zenodo at this link.

Comparative country case studies

The report ‘Mitigating inequality in educational outcomes’ evaluates the impact of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in five European countries.

By analysing national contexts, governance structures and implementation approaches, the report provides concrete insights into how early intervention policies can support learners facing disadvantage. It demonstrates that although ECEC contributes to reducing educational inequalities, its impact varies highly depending on the context, implementation, and additional policies tied to it.

These case studies underline the importance of targeted support, adequate resources, and inclusive system design, offering valuable lessons for policymakers and practitioners working at both national and European levels.

The report is available on Zenodo at this link.

Systematic Review Report

The Systematic Review Report entitled ‘Does early childhood education reduce inequalities in educational outcomes for children facing multiple disadvantages’ synthesises evidence focusing on ECEC interventions targeting children facing multiple disadvantages, including socio-economic hardship, migrant background and minority status. Focusing on longitudinal and quasi-experimental studies, the review analyses outcomes related to academic achievement, behaviour, retention, and longer-term life trajectories.

A core finding highlights that the implementation of high-quality early childhood programmes in disadvantaged communities significantly mitigates educational inequalities, particularly when sufficient resources and inclusive design are in place. Long-term benefits identified in the literature include better employment outcomes and reduced social risks later in life.

The report is available on Zenodo at this link.

Report on trends in educational inequalities

The report ‘Trends in Inequality in Educational Achievement in Europe’ analyses disparities in learning outcomes across intersecting factors, such as socio-economic background, migrant status, and gender, drawing on international large-scale assessment data (TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA). The report analyses inequalities across 27 EU Member States, Norway and the United Kingdom and adopts an intersectional lens, showing how multiple forms of disadvantage interact. Students from lower-educated families, particularly when combined with other factors such as gender or location, often face compounded barriers and continue to perform below average in many countries.

Key findings indicate that socio-economic background remains the strongest predictor of educational performance, underscoring that achieving true equity requires targeted support, inclusive design, and efforts to close participation gaps. This publication provides further evidence for the ongoing policy discussion on early intervention for equity and inclusion in Education and Training. It focuses on reforms that improve access to early childhood education, showing that these reforms alone are not enough to close existing gaps. The most effective reforms will also need to tackle participation disparities and quality differences among social groups. The report is available on Zenodo at this link.

Contribute to STRIDE and stay informed about its results

STRIDE emphasises the importance of sustained, evidence-based measures over one-time initiatives. It provides education stakeholders with new knowledge and tools to foster resilient, inclusive school systems. The project encourages collaboration among practitioners, decision-makers, and stakeholders, while advocating for resources and evaluations of measures aimed at reducing inequalities. If you are interested in contributing your perspective to discussions on education, equity, and inclusion, following the project’s research findings and policy recommendations, or just staying informed about events, publications, and project updates, you can:

👉 Visit the project's website to explore STRIDE’s results and upcoming activities: https://stride-research.eu/ 🔗

👉 Follow and share STRIDE updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/stride-eu/ 🔗

Feel free to share STRIDE publications and policy briefs with your networks, participate in STRIDE events and discussions, and engage with our content on social media and the STRIDE website.