Public-private balance in Spanish teaching system: evolution and effects on educational inequalities

Abstract

This paper reviews the evolution of the Spanish educational system with special reference to the dualisation process between state and private education. The first section provides some aspects of the social and political context of education in order to understand the characteristics of the two educational sectors. The regulation of the educational system and the structure of interest groups are factors to interpret the historical polarization between state and private schools. Sections 2 and 3 include both data on the evolution of schooling in public and private schools and data on the patterns of public expenditure on private education, showing significant educational policy differences among territories. Finally, the article deals with two aspects of educational inequalities in private schools: the student admission policies and the participation of different social classes in private schools.