Overall, the studies in which the German research team participated point to four important findings: First, the logic of educational differentiation in Germany differs sharply from most other countries considered in the LIFETRACK project. Here, the segregation of students is highly formalized and occurs early in life, while more subtle and informal forms of sorting are less pronounced. The study of educational trajectories based on NEPS data shows impressively that the early separation of students is accompanied by many opportunities to attain higher degrees later in life via detours. As a result, educational pathways in Germany are diverse and complex. The sorting in the transition to secondary schools in Germany is therefore not as strict as it seems at first glance.
Second, causal analyses show that early division nevertheless has long-term effects on occupational placement in adulthood, primarily through its function of steering students into specific post-school educational pathways via educational attainment and grades.
Third, our results suggest that attending a Gymnasium compared to a Realschule leads to greater learning gains in core subjects for students with the same initial conditions and competencies during lower secondary school. Classmates seem to play a central role in explaining this positive effect, both in terms of their achievement level and their social composition.
Fourth, international comparative results from the project show that student sorting appears to ensure that family background influences academic and socioeconomic success in adulthood, regardless of how and when sorting occurs in different education systems. Although overall social background explains only a small part of the differences in sorting or long-term educational outcomes, the indirect effect of social background is clearly explained by sorting in upper secondary school, regardless of the educational system.