School trajectories of children in poverty. Results of the CaixaProinfancia program in the post-pandemic context

Abstract

In this study, we analyse the academic outcomes and trajectories of participants in the CaixaProinfancia program during the post-pandemic context. The program is a national benchmark for child care in situations of social vulnerability and aims to break the cycle of poverty transmission through comprehensive socio-educational support. This is a descriptive cross-sectional and longitudinal study that analyses school promotion and dropout rates in general, and, more specifically, at the end of compulsory secondary education, comparing participants who receive educational reinforcement within the program and those who do not participate in the 2020/21; 21/22; and 22/23 academic years. The total sample is 42,969 cases, and depending on the specific objective of the study, the entire sample is analysed or divided. As results, we observe a sustained trend towards improving and maintaining the 4th year of compulsory secondary education graduation rate (82.4%) over time, standing at 0.8 percentage points above the national average in the final academic year (2022-23) (81.6%). The dropout rate is also lower among participants in end-of-year educational reinforcement and post-compulsory education. The results of the academic trajectories of program participants during this post-pandemic period at the end of compulsory secondary education are very positive. We conclude that comprehensive socio-educational support and, especially, the academic reinforcement service have been very important in maintaining the academic success of students with the greatest needs. We emphasize the importance of social and educational support in fostering successful academic trajectories, preventing school failure or dropout, and promoting equal opportunities for the most vulnerable students.