Hidden Figures Systemic Racism and the Possible Effects of Sampling Bias in LargeScale Education Data Sets

Abstract

Significant influence over national educational systems and educational policies is exerted by large-scale international studies of education such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA). The impact of these influences on educational systems and student achievement is evidenced by the changes in patterns of cross-national and cross-cultural disparities in educational achievement over iterations of the test. This paper examines the import of national educational policymaker actions and potential sample bias of these tests through the lens of racism and educational inequities. Despite a data gap, national policy makers implement changes in educational policies and practices based on results from these large-scale studies and so fail to take into account the differing contexts students, especially minority cohorts, experience within education settings. Additionally, some specific examples of practices to exclude specific student cohorts from test participation are presented.