The four-year initiative, which runs from September 2025 to August 2029, is backed by €92,375 in funding. In addition to its research goals, the project includes a dedicated training grant for a predoctoral researcher, fostering the next generation of experts in educational equity.
The project is characterized by a robust international framework, bringing together specialists from across Europe and Latin America. In addition to three Spanish institutions, the team features representatives from the University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), the Autonomous University of Baja California (Mexico), and the University of Santiago de Chile (Chile), among others in Brazil and the region.
This global reach is more than just a list of partners—it is a methodological necessity. “This institutional and geographical diversity will allow the analyses to reflect not only the European situation, but also the dynamics and challenges specific to Latin American contexts,” explains the project's principal investigator, Dr. Fernando Martínez Abad of the University of Salamanca. By including perspectives from the University of Santiago de Chile to the University of Porto, the "Onside" project ensures that its findings are globally relevant.
Dr. Villalta joins the international team to collaborate specifically on the comparative analysis of educational equity indicators, the validation of the project's digital tools, and the coordination of access to regional databases. His expertise will be central to ensuring that the newly developed web application is grounded in robust data and accurately reflects the diverse educational landscapes being studied.
“Educational equity should not be understood as an abstract aspiration, but rather as a necessary condition for a more just society. And in that sense, Onside allows us to study in depth how education systems can fulfill that role,” says Dr. Villalta.
The Evolution of Equity
The primary objective of the Onside project is to analyze the evolution of equity in primary and secondary education by examining data from major international assessments, including PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS. Spanning three decades of data, the research investigates how key equity indicators correlate with systemic factors such as school structure, socioeconomic conditions, public policy, and curricular design.
The project will also develop an open-access web application designed for the interactive visualization of equity indicators across countries and regions. By integrating data from premier international sources—including the World Bank, Eurydice, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics—this tool will facilitate comparative analysis and data-driven decision-making for researchers, public authorities, and educational stakeholders.
According to the project's principal investigator, Dr. Fernando Martínez Abad (University of Salamanca), the development of this platform responds to an urgent global requirement: the provision of concrete, data-driven evidence to guide educational policies toward higher levels of equity. By translating complex assessments into an accessible digital tool, the project aims to bridge the gap between academic research and actionable reform.
“We are aware that social inequalities impact schools. With Onside, we aim to provide a solid foundation of data and analysis that will enable policymakers to make fairer and more effective decisions,” says Dr. Martínez Abad.
Relevance
The Onside project directly addresses a strategic priority recognized by major international organizations, including the United Nations—specifically through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—and the European Commission within its Horizon Europe framework. Both entities emphasize the urgent need for robust instruments that measure and promote educational equity as a foundational pillar of social justice and sustainable development.
Despite progress in educational access, significant disparities in outcomes persist, driven by school segregation and deep-seated socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, gender equity in academic performance remains an overlooked frontier, with existing indicators often prioritizing enrollment over actual achievement. Onside seeks to bridge this gap by developing robust metrics that identify and analyze the nuanced gender-based disparities in both learning outcomes and student opportunities.
According to the project's principal investigator, Dr. Fernando Martínez Abad (University of Salamanca), the development of this platform responds to an urgent global requirement: the provision of concrete, data-driven evidence to guide educational policies toward higher levels of equity. By translating complex assessments into an accessible digital tool, the project aims to bridge the gap between academic research and actionable reform.
To ensure the practical utility of the project's outputs, Onside will conduct rigorous validation testing with both subject-matter experts and potential end-users. This quality-assurance process will culminate in a high-level transfer seminar during the final stage of the project, where the findings and digital tools will be presented to key education system stakeholders and public authorities to facilitate direct implementation.
Dr. Villalta emphasizes that initiatives like Onside represent a vital opportunity for Latin American research to align with high-impact international agendas. “Usach is called upon to play an active role in the production of knowledge on educational justice, especially considering the challenges facing our region,” he concluded. This engagement underscores the university's commitment to bridging regional expertise with global scientific collaboration.