Abstract
The aim of the present study is to compare the learning conditions in regular and bilingual classes in two public schools. The assumption guiding the study was that pupils attending the same school should have access to education of a similar quality, no matter what class their parents select for them.
Though some between-class variation in teacher quality and class composition is inevitable, one type of class should not systematically represent a more advantageous educational option. Bilingual classes were selected as a type of specialized class that might pose a risk to educational equity, as they had previously been criticized by the media and the Czech School Commission for collecting hidden fees and allowing private organizations to interfere with the school's decision making (Blažková, 2014; Česká školní inspekce, 2014).
Given the focus of the research, bilingual education in itself was not examined. Rather, the goal was to compare how a pupil's educational experience can differ depending on whether he or she attends a bilingual or a regular class at the same school.