The purpose of this study is to provide a general overview of the issue of equity in education.The aim is to obtain a historical-chronological description of equity in theory, policies and practices.The analysis has shown how equity is widely discussed in the international debate. Different conceptions can be detected, namely: a) equity as inclusion; b) equity as meritocracy.It seems to be necessary to continue the debate in order to focus on coherent and shared policies, practices and observations concerning scholastic systems.