The WERA International Research Network (IRN) “Researching (In)Equity in Primary Education – Social Practices and Institutional Structures in the Light of Current Dynamics” brings together scholars from around the globe who examine how (in)equity are constructed in everyday primary schooling, e.g., through policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, assessment practices and peer/group relations that shape children’s opportunities to participate and learn. The network’s core idea is that primary school is a crucial educational stage: it is an early point at which patterns of belonging, inclusion and exclusion become visible, and children’s understanding of (in)equality is actively formed.

This paper presents a cross-country, theory-guided synthesis of how (in)equity is (re)produced in everyday primary schooling based on selected activities of the WERA research network and aims at reflecting on educational practices and policies on (in)equity in primary education in three different countries: Italy, Germany, and Austria.

Our shared theoretical orientation approaches (in)equity not only as a matter of redistribution of resources (Rawls, 1971/1999), but also as a matter of recognition (Taylor, 1995; Honneth 2007; Fraser & Honneth 2003), i.e., how learners are seen, heard, respected and valued within relationships and institutional cultures. Recognition theory highlights that educational experiences are shaped by whether children encounter (a) empathic attention to their needs and vulnerabilities, (b) respect as rights-bearing members of the school community, and (c) social esteem for their abilities, languages, and further individual differences. This lens enables us to study (in)equity as a lived and relational phenomenon, not only as an outcome measured by attainment.

Positioning recognition at the center also clarifies the limits of equating educational equity with broader theories of social justice focused primarily on autonomy and distributive fairness. Classic accounts of justice emphasize the fair distribution of goods and equal opportunity under conditions of meritocratic competition. Yet in schools, especially primary schools, individual autonomy cannot simply be assumed; the development of autonomy is also an educational aim that institutions are tasked to cultivate. For that reason, disparities in participation or attainment cannot be straightforwardly justified as the product of “choice” or personal responsibility. Educational equity thus requires conceptual treatment in its own right: it concerns how schools create conditions under which children can become autonomous, while being protected from discrimination and from institutional processes that naturalize unequal outcomes (Stojanov, 2011).

In our paper we address the overarching research question of how (in)equity in primary education is constructed through practices of recognition (i.e., empathy, respect, social esteem) within policies, institutional arrangements and everyday school interactions in Italy, Germany, and Austria.

This paper is structured as a cross-country, theory-guided synthesis of ongoing research within the WERA network. We present examples of educational policies and practices from Italy, Germany, and Austria. In Italy, primary education is part of the inclusively structured education system originating in the 1970s, inspired by the democratic movements of 1968, which sought to democratize schooling and reduce educational inequalities (Ianes et al., 2020; Law 517/1977). Formally, Italian primary schools are characterized by a strong national curricular framework combined with considerable pedagogical school autonomy (D’Alessio, 2011). However, research suggests that persistent forms of inequity emerge affecting children with SEN (e.g., Bellacicco et al., 2019) as well as through the intersection of disadvantaging dimensions – particularly the combination of different first languages, low socio-economic status and non-Italian citizenship (Gross, 2022). In Germany, primary school was proclaimed to be “a school for all children” in 1919 (Miller, 2019), yet it was neither a school for children with special learning difficulties nor for children with a different citizenship than German. In contrast to Italy, special schools expanded in the 1970s. Whereas there was a clear tendency for more inclusive education in Germany between 2009 and 2016, the rate of exclusion stayed almost the same from 2016 until today (Aktion Mensch, 2024). In analyses of PISA data between 2000 and 2018, social inequalities in reading and mathematical competences are persistent and educational inequities are strongly apparent (Maaz & Lörz, 2024). Similarly, in Austria, international monitoring continues to flag persistent equity challenges (OECD, 2023). Primary education is shaped by early selection and high-stakes transition after Grade 4. Early performance judgements can become pathway decisions that consolidate advantages and disadvantages (Schneeweis & Zweimüller, 2014), with achievement patterns already socially stratified by the end of primary school (Kollmayer et al., 2024). From a recognition perspective, for instance, language support is consequential for everyday classroom participation and visibility. Segregated German language support classes have been widely debated for potentially limiting access to mainstream instruction and peer interaction, with substantial variation in implementation (Erling et al., 2022; Schwab et al., 2024). Our presentation applies recognition theory as a common interpretive lens for heterogeneous contexts. We map (a) educational policies (e.g., assessment regimes, inclusion arrangements, transition mechanisms), (b) pedagogical practices (interaction patterns, feedback), and (c) lived experiences (how children, teachers and families encounter recognition or misrecognition).

The WERA IRN’s comparative work suggests that (in)equity in primary education emerges from the interplay between policy expectations and institutional and pedagogical routines. Across Italy, Germany, and Austria policies and institutional structures set the conditions of possibility for equitable schooling; however, lived experiences are shaped decisively by how empathy, respect, and social esteem are enacted in schools. Viewing equity through recognition theory allows analysing why reforms that foster access can still generate exclusion: children may be formally included while simultaneously experiencing misrecognition. Initial findings include that systems with early selection or transition intensify the consequences of misrecognition by translating everyday practices into durable pathway decisions and by reinforcing social and migration-related inequalities. Moreover, even long-standing inclusion-oriented systems can (re)produce exclusion when they overlook the intersection of multiple disadvantages. In this sense, equity-oriented reforms often privilege structural indicators (access, placement, attainment) while neglecting relational indicators of recognition (e.g., children’ s voice, respect, visibility, and social esteem). Our paper underscores the importance of professional development and school cultures that foster the recognition of individuals as rights-bearing members of institutional contexts (Honneth, 2007). Aligning institutional structures with such relational practices appears crucial for enabling primary schools to function not only as sites of access, but also as spaces where children experience belonging, respect, and social esteem – conditions that are foundational for active social participation, the development of autonomy, and long-term educational trajectories.

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