Structured school system
A structured school system refers to school systems in which pupils in lower secondary level attend different types of school.
Situation in Germany
The general secondary schools in the Federal Republic of Germany are part of a structured school system. Before the introduction of the comprehensive school , this term summarized the three general school forms of lower secondary level defined in the Hamburg Agreement : Hauptschule , Realschule and Gymnasium . The use of the term tripartite school system is not entirely correct. This system has been modified in some federal states since the end of the 1960s and since German unification : The introduction of the comprehensive school as a regular school added another section, while the secondary , regional , regular or middle schools combined two sections . In addition to the secondary schools to which elementary school pupils pass, there are also special schools throughout Germany which represent an additional “link” in the system of schools in lower secondary level. That is why the four-tier school system is sometimes used .
The school policy discussion regarding a change in the structured school system is conducted less and less ideologically . On the one hand, the SPD, the Greens, the Left and the Union for Education and Science (GEW) are calling for a one-tier school system, and on the other hand, the CDU and the Association of Philologists (DPhV) plead for the principle of maintaining the three- tier school system with changes made to the school structure, but under the CDU - led state governments ( Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony ), the community school was introduced, and in 2007 the CDU state government in Hessen declared itself in favor of comprehensive schools as a parallel system to the structured school system in the state parliament . Several business associations warn against sorting children too early because of the economic effects. The separation of secondary and secondary schools is increasingly disappearing. In fact, the "two-way model" predicted by educational researcher Klaus Hurrelmann in the 1980s is prevailing in all 16 federal states, in which, in addition to the grammar school, the types of secondary school, secondary school and comprehensive school are merged into an integrated secondary school with its own upper level. As a result, after completing primary school, parents have the choice between two equivalent types of secondary schools for their child, which lead to all educational qualifications (but in different pedagogical and didactic ways).
Historical development
From the Middle Ages to compulsory schooling
In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance there were two basic types of school in Central and Western Europe: elementary school and Latin school. While the elementary school taught only basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic, the Latin school prepared for university studies or a career in the church. In addition, specialized schools such as computing schools developed . However, a large part of the population did not attend school.
During the Enlightenment , the Latin school, which in the early Middle Ages was often attached to a monastery and later also to a university, developed into the grammar school. In 1717 Prussia introduced compulsory schooling without, however, providing comprehensive schools, teachers and school administrators.
Educational reforms
The next major change were Wilhelm von Humboldt's educational reforms : the classic humanistic grammar school was created based on his concept , the elementary school was upgraded to an elementary school with trained teachers and the Abitur was a general study requirement. Contrary to Humboldt's intention, the grammar school (actually designed to build on the elementary school) was only accessible to a minority. In addition, the Realschule established itself as a school form, which had realities such as natural sciences and modern languages in the curriculum , but dispensed with the classical languages and also had no upper level. The Realschule prepared for a middle civil service career or an engineering school . It also developed upper secondary schools that prepared technical studies and Realgymnasiums .
Weimar Republic and National Socialism
In the Weimar Republic was after the Weimar school compromise the primary school all segments of society allgemeinverpflichtend for children. The special preliminary classes for high school and middle school were dropped.
The National Socialist regime did not abolish this school system, but expanded it. In addition to the elementary school, the NS-Hauptschule was built as an upscale elementary school in competition with the Realschule. In addition to the grammar schools, the National Political Educational Institutions (Napola) acted as higher political cadres . The disapproval of the humanistic ideals of the classical grammar school and thus the destruction of humanistic education by the National Socialists were cited in West Germany in 1955 as an argument for maintaining the structured school system, in which the grammar school played an important role in educational policy for higher education. The educational arguments were seamlessly adopted by the Association of Philologists (1936).
After the Second World War
After the Second World War , the Allies initially wanted to introduce a unified school system in Germany, as they saw a hierarchically structured school system as jointly responsible for the acceptance of militaristic and totalitarian rule. This was done in the Soviet-occupied zone . In the western zones of occupation and the western sectors of Berlin, on the other hand, the education ministers of the newly founded federal states prevailed and maintained the three-tier school system that was taken over from the Weimar Republic , alongside the special school. Something similar happened in Austria (two-tier structure).
Since the 1970s, different types of comprehensive schools have been established in parallel with the tripartite system. Since then, one speaks of the structured school system.
After reunification
After reunification , the institution of the grammar school from West Germany was taken over by the new states despite the decision of the round table (1989). With the exception of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, however, two-tier school systems emerged from the start everywhere in the eastern federal states.
The PISA studies in the late 1990s and 2000s showed the social selection function of the structured system. Since then, there has been clear criticism from the OECD , UNESCO , UNICEF , the EU Commission , the United Nations and other institutions.
Criticism of the German school system
Criticism because of the lack of career opportunities
Opponents criticize that the structured school system is cementing social inequality. The more or less rigid division of students into several types of school has a decisive impact on their educational and professional opportunities, and at a much too early point in time (depending on the federal state after the fourth or sixth grade). The categorization is less dependent on the student's personal talents than on their socio-economic background, especially on their parents' home.
This criticism is confirmed by numerous studies. The trend is down, but the differences are still very pronounced. According to PISA 2006, adolescents from families of the upper social classes with the same level of knowledge have a 2.7 times higher chance of attending a grammar school than children of a skilled worker ( evaluation of the PISA studies: influence of social background ).
The long-term study LIFE (life courses from late childhood to early adulthood) by Helmut Fend , on the other hand, came to the conclusion that working-class children who have attended a Hessian comprehensive school are not better positioned in their later professional position than working-class children within the structured school system: "Solange the school can act internally, i.e. having the children and young people together and grouping them according to performance, it can definitely reduce social selectivity. When it comes to the further levels of education, to the risky decisions regarding school leaving qualifications, training and professional careers, then this school influence is lost and the family resources in shaping the decisions come to the fore. "
Criticism because of the lack of promotion of intelligence
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development was interested in the question of whether the type of school attended has an influence on the development of intelligence . Strong effects could be demonstrated: When the output performance was checked in the intelligence test in grade seven, the pupils who attended grammar school were able to increase their intelligence performance up to ninth grade by 11.39 points more than the pupils who attended secondary school. Critics see this as evidence that the pupils at the lower school types have poorer development opportunities.
Criticism for inadequate promotion of skills
It is also complained that the tripartite school system does not prepare sufficiently for demanding occupations, for example in the craft sector. It is regarded as particularly bad that the secondary schools are no longer able to keep up with the increasing qualification requirements in the craft. 39 percent of the secondary school students only achieve the basic skills; so they can only do as much as an elementary school student. Many apprenticeship positions in the skilled trades would have to remain vacant because young people would no longer have the necessary qualifications. In particular, there would be a lack of math and technical skills. This puts the economic prosperity of entire industries at risk. A nine-year basic school for everyone is therefore required.
PISA could show that the acquisition of skills strongly depends on two things, namely on the social origin and the type of school attended. It was found that children learn the least skills at secondary school. It could also be proven that middle-class children at the Hauptschule (as well as at all other types of school) learned much more than lower-class children, with the effect being least pronounced at the Gymnasium. However, the comprehensive school was not so successful: The acquisition of skills at the comprehensive school is particularly dependent on the social background. This is behind in comparison to both Realschule and Gymnasium. The table shows this as an example for mathematical competencies.
| PISA test performance (measured in "competence points") | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| type of school | Very "low" social background | "Low" social background | "High" social background | Very "high" social background |
| secondary schools | 400 | 429 | 436 | 450 |
| Comprehensive school | 438 | 469 | 489 | 515 |
| secondary school | 482 | 504 | 528 | 526 |
| high school | 578 | 581 | 587 | 602 |
| PISA 2003 - The educational level of young people in Germany - results of the second international comparison | ||||
Against the criticism, supporters of the structured school system argue that it is misunderstood that there is no empirical evidence whatsoever that longer joint learning or even the integrated school would result in higher learning success for all. It is a fact that homogeneous learning groups achieve the greatest success. It is “illogical” that, in the future, poor and unwilling to learn pupils who belonged to the secondary school should become more intelligent, more willing to learn and more willing to perform through joint lessons with others. In the discussion about the integrated school, the gifted, the “normal”, the willing to learn would also be neglected. The traditional grammar school is one of the best and most efficient forms of school in the world. The promotion of the secondary school institution ensures permeability in the education system; that is the way of the future.
Secondary education reforms
Saarland
The Saarland has a structured school system consisting of an extended secondary school and a grammar school. The extended secondary school replaces the previous forms of secondary school, secondary school and comprehensive school. In between there was a model test with the secondary school, but it ended again.
Hamburg
One proposal in Hamburg on the subject is the implementation of a two-pillar model, a district school and a grammar school, which was introduced on August 1, 2010.
After that, district schools now offer all school-leaving certificates up to and including the Abitur after thirteen years. The grammar school leads to university entrance qualification after only twelve years . As before, which child goes to which school is initially decided after the fourth grade and then finally after the sixth grade. The one year difference to attaining the Abitur can be compared with shortening an apprenticeship by half a year: It leads to the same goal, but is a little more difficult.
Rhineland-Palatinate
In 1997 the regional school became a regular school in Rhineland-Palatinate . This includes a secondary school and a secondary school branch. At the beginning of the school year 2009/10, the restructuring to the new Realschule plus began . The process has now been completed. Rhineland-Palatinate has thus abolished the secondary school and established a two-tier school system. In addition, the expansion of integrative comprehensive schools is being promoted.
Lower Saxony
Since the 2011/2012 school year, Lower Saxony has had secondary schools in addition to secondary schools . For the time being, however, not all secondary schools and secondary schools will be combined into secondary schools.
Other federal states
- There are further reforms of the secondary schools in Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
- The school systems in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saarland, Hamburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia are structured in two parts.
- The federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia are sticking to the three-tier system for the time being, with North Rhine-Westphalia aiming for change in the long term with the secondary school .
- In Bavaria, secondary schools are now referred to as secondary schools with the offer of intermediate secondary school .
Situation in Austria
Like Germany, Austria is one of the few countries in Europe to have a structured school system from the fifth grade onwards. After completing elementary school, pupils in Austria usually attend an AHS lower level (grammar school), the secondary school with performance groups in the “main subjects” or the new middle school. The choice of the type of school should be based on previous school success and talents; regardless of this, however, the social position of the family and the wishes of parents and teachers play a major role. Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of a year group attends an AHS in the larger cities than in rural areas.
Situation outside of the closed German-speaking area
There are also structured school systems in other countries. However, Germany and Austria are now the only countries in the world in which the majority of schoolchildren go to separate secondary schools after grade 4, after in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, after 2000, the transition time from entry to 5th started for the majority of schoolchildren which was moved to the 7th grade. This process should be completed by the 2015/2016 school year.
There are structured school systems from grade 7 in Belgium , Great Britain , Ireland , Liechtenstein, Luxembourg , Mexico and Switzerland; from grade 8 in the Netherlands ; from year 9 in Italy , Poland , Portugal , Russia , the Czech Republic and Hungary ; from grade 10 in France .
swell
- ^ Klaus Hurrelmann: Theses on the structural development of the education system in the next five to ten years. In: The German School. 4, 1988, pp. 451-495.
- ↑ Helmut Fend: Difficult way to the top: The parental home decides on educational success - regardless of the type of school. In: The time. January 3, 2008 (online at: zeit.de )
- ↑ Normalization of the test: M = 100, SD = 15
- ↑ Elsbeth Stern, Ilonca Hardy: Differential Psychology of Learning in School and Training. In: Birbaumer ao: Encyclopedia of Psychology - Subject area C: Theory and Research - Series VIII: Differential Psychology and Personality Research. Volume 5: Theories and fields of application. Hogrefe Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-8017-0534-X , p. 580.
- ↑ Handicrafts in Baden-Württemberg: PISA brings bad news from secondary school for handicrafts ( Memento from February 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on March 1, 2008)
- ↑ Ehmke et al.: In: PISA-Konsortium Deutschland (Hrsg.): PISA 2003 - The educational level of young people in Germany - results of the 2nd international comparison. Waxmann, Münster / New York 2004, p. 244.
- ↑ Brochure More Courage for Better Education from the series Positions des Handwerks , to be ordered from: ntasci@handwerk-bw.de
- ↑ see on the same topic also the consequences of PISA positions of the craft. ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Baden-Württemberg Crafts Day, July 2002.
- ↑ handwerk-nrw.de
- ↑ SCHULMINISTERIUM.NRW.DE The education portal Education portal : "Secondary school". Two school types of longer learning together . July 2011 School policy consensus for North Rhine-Westphalia ( Memento from 23 August 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ The Swiss Education Server: Secondary Level I: What's New? ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ German PISA Consortium 2004, quoted from Dieter Katzenbach, Joachim Schroeder: “Being able to be different without fear”. About inclusion and its feasibility . In: Journal for Inclusion. Edition 1. 2007.
- Markus Fink, Christian Schneijderberg: Ways to the university. Lesson modules on higher education, education policy, education and study financing. Frankfurt am Main 2008 ( online ).
Web links
- Discussion about the three-tier school system in Germany: "Learning together up to grade nine" ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Interview with an education researcher from Dortmund on the tripartite school system: "Our school system is an obsolete model" ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- "Tripartite school system outdated"
- Tripartite school system: Pro - Clear rejection of the 'unit school'.
- “Parents not suitable.” On the problem of choice in structured school systems
- Political Atlas of School Reform Interactive overview of the debate, the models and the status quo of all federal states