Supplementary file 1_Factors and predictors of educational inequalities in European schools: a systematic literature review with a longitudinal lens.docx

Overall, 70 variables influencing educational inequalities were identified and organised into a schema of four clusters: student, family, teacher/school and system levels. Solid links were observed between academic achievement, school engagement and student well-being.</p>Discussion<p>Longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional data offer valuable insights into the variables of educational inequalities and into the roles they play as factors and predictors of unequal academic achievement.

Socioeconomic and cultural status, along with other family-related variables, emerged as central predictors of achievement gaps, alongside student-level variables such as school engagement. Teacher and school-level factors, as well as system-level ones, also significantly influence the complex phenomenon of educational inequalities.</p>Conclusions/implications<p>The evidence from this literature review reveals solid links between academic achievement and student engagement, emphasising that policies to address inequalities must address not only socioeconomic and academic factors but also socio-emotional aspects, with targeted interventions for vulnerable groups.

The findings also underscore the need to explore further how variables influencing educational inequalities interact over time, from early childhood education through secondary education, to inform evidence-based interventions for more equitable educational outcomes.</p>