Educational Transitions and Differential Learning Environments: How Explicit Between-School Tracking Contributes to Social Inequality in Educational Outcomes

Abstract The different forms of educational tracking implemented in national educational systems can influence both gains in students’ learning and the development of social differences in educational outcomes. Using the German school system as an example, this article identifies 2 mechanisms by which explicit between-school tracking—that is, the allocation of students to different types of schools or curricula at the beginning of secondary level—increases the strength of the link between socioeconomic background and student achievement. First, the transition to a secondary track is associated with social background—The more educationally advantaged the parents, the higher a student’s chance of being enrolled in a high-track school. Second, ability grouping at the secondary level produces relatively homogeneous developmental environments, with higher learning rates in high tracks. The long-term consequences of tracking and potential countermeasures are discussed.