Invisible inequalities in Chilean education: gaps between urban and rural students in Pisa's reading literacy assessment (2009)

This article compares the Pisa 2009 Reading Literacy test results of urban and rural students, through a multi-level hierarchical analysis of the database variables, identifying two levels: (i) home/student and (ii) school. The main results confirm that students in rural areas have fewer opportunities than those in urban areas, which means that rural students face disadvantages in terms of academic achievement, due to historical inequalities. The scores show that remedial policies are necessary in specific areas, such as: access and retention in preschool education, reduction of student failure rates, maternal education programs, etc., that could have a positive impact on students in rural areas, significantly reducing the current situation of inequality.

Pisa Test; Urban-rural gaps; Inequality