Socioeconomic Status, School Quality, and National Economic Development: A Cross‐National Analysis of the “Heyneman‐Loxley Effect” on Mathematics and Science Achievement

Based on 1970s data, the "Heyneman-Loxley (HL) effect" proposed that in developing nations, school variables were more important than family socioeconomic status in determining academic achievement. A reassessment of the HL effect using 1990s TIMSS data found the relationship between family background and student achievement to be similar across nations regardless of national income, suggesting that the spread of mass schooling has reduced the HL effect. (SV)