Meaning of EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT:
Although formal education is based on equality of opportunities and equal access, educational attainment varies on the basis of race, class, gender, caste, etc., even in the most developed societies. For instance, lower class children tend to have a low level of educational attainment as against the upper class or middle class children. This is due to a variety of factors like provision of unequal learning opportunities in terms of school’s resources such as per pupil expenditure, facilities, and equipment available in the school; teacher-student ratio; teacher characteristics; school atmosphere; student attitudes; peer influence; and the like. Further, there is little value for education in their social circle and, hence teachers do not expect them to do well unlike middle class children from whom teachers expect a better performance. As given by James S. Coleman (1966) in his studies in the US, family background and racial composition were the most important factors which influenced educational attainment.