On your arrival at the
crime scene you find
your
Sergeant ready and waiting to brief you on the background to the case.
It seems that, for as long as anyone can remember, the education system has been turning-out students with different levels of academic achievement.
"It's an open and shut case, Inspector".
"You think so Sergeant?"
"Certainly. It's all a question of motivation and merit. Those who buckle down, do as they're told and work hard are likely to succeed and those that mess around or can't be bothered, fail".
"So you're saying it's a question of 'what you know', rather than 'who you know'?"
"Exactly".
You think about what's just been said for a moment or two.
"The concept of a meritocracy is an interesting theory" you say at last, "but I think you're missing something pretty significant here".
Your keen detective's eyes have noticed a
number of odd and interesting things about the case. n
particular, your curiosity is aroused by the fact that clear patterns of achievement seem
to be present, such that an individual's chances of success or failure seem to be related
to 
their social
class,
gender and
ethnic background.
"If you're right, Inspector, there's more to this case than meets the eye. Perhaps we need to investigate further before we jump to any hasty conclusions...