Countering educational inequality: a case-study of the Irish DEIS programme

Emer Smyth and Merike Darmody

Chapter 4 in Neoliberalism, Inequality and Education, 2026, pp 61-76 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Internationally, a number of educational policies, including measures to foster school choice, have resulted in an intensification of existing social inequalities. However, some systems have attempted to target resources to reduce educational inequalities. This chapter draws on the example of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme in Ireland, the main government intervention to address educational disadvantage. The programme has been widely praised but has been criticised for failing to address disadvantage among those not attending schools covered by the scheme. Furthermore, the scheme sits side-by-side with institutional features, such as long-standing active choice of schools and relatively high levels of take-up of shadow education, that potentially foster inequality between and within schools. The chapter draws on existing research and in-depth interviews with policy stakeholders to trace the development of the DEIS scheme and to unpack the benefits and challenges in attempting to address educational inequality.

Keywords: Educational Inequality; Ireland; Targeting Schools; School Choice; Shadow Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035363711
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