Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book briefly sets out the theoretical and conceptual framework on which the "Reducing Early School Leaving in Europe" – RESL.eu project is based. It gives more information about the methods used to collect the data of the RESL.eu project, which should enable the reader to situate the data used for each chapter within the project. Since the 1960s and 1970s, research has demonstrated that socioeconomic status (SES) remains the main predictor of differences in educational attainment indicators, such as grade retention or early school leaving (ESL). This is a sobering finding after half a century of research on educational inequalities and how to overcome them. Subsequently, the book provides an overview of the distinct chapters and how they relate to one another and how they are organised.