Breaking the cycle of disadvantage 

This policy brief from the RAND Corporation examines the impact of child-targeted interventions in early childhood education and care (ECEC) as well as initiatives to widen access to higher education in Europe, and their impact on social mobility in later years. It provides an overview of research on the topic, discusses various policies, and describes a number of case studies on different programs and practices. One example presented is the UK Aim Higher initiative, which focused on children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds living in areas characterized by low participation in higher education. The aim of the initiative was twofold: first, to raise the aspirations of potential candidates, and second, to develop the abilities of underrepresented groups so they could apply to college. According to the brief, research suggests that the program appears to have delivered some improvements in exam results, retention, and progression to higher education. However, there appears to be little evidence that it was successful in influencing participants' attitudes toward higher education. 

Overall, key conclusions of the brief include:

• In the context of economic uncertainty, investing in high-quality ECEC appears to be an effective evidence-based social policy tool, although it should not be considered a panacea. 
• The level of ECEC provision is very unequal across the EU: to be effective, it needs to be of high quality.
• One way to break the cycle of disadvantage would be to develop ambitious indicators and policy goals that link ECEC provision for underrepresented groups to access to higher education. 

Johns Hopkins University 

Research in Brief

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