Abstract
Selection within the educational domain breeds a special kind of suspicion. Whether it is the
absence of transparency in the selection procedure, the observable outcomes of the selection,
or the criteria of selection itself, there is much to corroborate the suspicion many have that
selection in practice is unfair. And certainly as it concerns primary and secondary education, the
principle of educational equity requires that children not have their educational experiences or
opportunities determined by their postcode, their ethnic status, first language, or family wealth.
Indeed educational opportunities determined by unearned advantage or disadvantage offend
against basic notions of fairness. But are public schools even permitted to select their students,
and if so, how can selection procedures used by schools be best structured to achieve equitable
ends? In this article we delineate, describe, and defend what we believe are the essential features
of selection and also why we need to pay equal attention to both the outcomes and the processes
leading to those outcomes. Provided the selection is motivated and guided by the right reasons, as
well as appropriately monitored, we argue that selection can be equity promoting.