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Choice of school, school types, North Rhine-Westphalia

Question

My name is ... and I plan to do my PhD in Aachen RWTH, Germany next year. I have three children. I would like to send them to public school and I understand they have different types of school there. I would like to know which or what type of school could my children go since they have not studied in Germany. Please help me.

Answer

Regarding your questions about schools for your children, I would like to invite you to visit the following link on Deutscher Bildungsserver: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=136 You will find informations in english regarding school systems, institutions, laws, addresses etc.. Furthermore it might be useful for you to visit the homepage of Nordrhein-Westfalen's Ministry of Education klicking on http://www.learn-line.nrw.de/start.html (here, information ist only available in german, though). Here you can find especially addresses of single schools and further information about the school system in Nordrhein-Westfalen and phone numbers.

Regulations for English language exams of the Abitur (A-level)

Question

I am a staff member in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at the .... We are currently researching the English language component of a range of qualifications, including the German Abitur.

I would be grateful for any other information available on the English language component of the German secondary qualification. Ideally, we're looking for a syllabus, detailed assessment/mark scheme and sample exam papers.

Answer

There are several resources about the German Abitur available but unfortunately only in German.

As a federal state Germany actually has 16 education systems but there are a number of agreements on and regulations for the Abitur from the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs" that apply to all:

Gymnasiale Oberstufe (sixth form) in the Laender: http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/abi-02.pdf

Agreements on the Abitur and gymnasiale Oberstufe (sixth form): http://www.kmk.org/schul/abipr.htm

http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/abi-03.pdf

http://www.kmk.org/doc/publ/Vereinb-z-Gestalt-d-gymOb-i-d-SekII.pdf appendix to the above document: http://www.kmk.org/doc/publ/176_Listen-zu-Ziff_10-1_10-2_11-2.pdf

Central and decentral exams in the Laender: http://www.kmk.org/schul/zdzabi.htm

Duration of schooling at the Gymnasium (secondary school/ grammar school): http://www.kmk.org/schul/SchulzeitamGymnasium.pdf

Agreement on the mutual recognition of the Abitur in the Laender: http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/abi-07.pdf

Sample for school leaving report: http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/abi-08.pdf

Concerning the English language:

Unified examination requirements for the English language (Abitur): http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/epa_englisch.pdf

Some resources on exam questions for secondary schools (no complete list for all Laender) http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=638 Up-to-date information is also available from the ministries of education

school curricula in the Laender: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=400

For information on detailed assessment and mark schemes you best contact the ministries of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

For general information:

A short introduction to the Oberstufe (sixth form) in English: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=687 Collection of resources on the German education system: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505 (several resources are available in English)

Purchase of German math books

Question

I am interested in purchasing German Math books that would be used in German schools for children ages 9-14. If I can not purchase the exact books, I would like equivalent material. I am trying to develop math comparisons between US grades 4th-8th for my PhD.

Answer

As we are no bookshop it is not possible to buy math books from us. We only provide internet resources on education in Germany.

Links to lists of school books used in schools in the German Laender can be found at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=522 Unfortunately the websites are only in German. Of interested for the given age groups are the school types: Grundschule, Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium. The German word for math is Mathematik.

You can also try and contact the ministries of education for lists of school books: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

English medium / international school, near Witten

Question

I am looking for an English medium international school for my child (who is 7 year old) in or near Witten, Germany. I request you to send me information about the above

Answer

To find schools in Nordrhein-Westfalen, please visit the following link:

http://www.learn-line.nrw.de/angebote/dabi/ddb_search.php3

For further information about international schools in/near Witten you can also contact "Landesbildungsserver NRW" directly, klicking on http://db.learnline.de/nes-bin/email.lasso?id=angebote/dabi/.

2. Answer

Visiting the followin link, you will find a search machine for bilingual schools in Nordrhein-Westfalen (you can choose the city Witten in a dropdown box) http://www.schulministerium.nrw.de/BP/_suche1/SchuleSuchen/suchen_unt_angebote.php General informations about english language in primary school are available under http://www.schulministerium.nrw.de/BP/Unterricht/Faecher/Fremdsprachen/Sprachen/Englisch/EnglischGrundschule/index.html

There is also an association for multilingual education that is reachable at http://www.fmks-online.de/

Partner school Comenius project

Question

We want to join the Comenius School Partnerships Programme for this year,so we need to find the coordinate school and a partner.You can offer your project's subject to us.We can accept your subject.Could you help about this subject to us as soon as possible? We need the Coordinae School's Information and partners' information on the application form for our national agency.The 30 rd March is the latest day for us.The Turkish national agency has been given this time to us,so we don't have enough time. If you are interested in fillig in the application form you can send it to us,Our National Agency wants to get the information about the coordinate school and the partner on the aplication form.If you fill in the form,you can send it to us and then we are going to fill in the form. Our School is only two years. Although it is a new school,it is known very well by everybody from its education system.There are only twenty students in each class. It has Biology, Chemistry, Science, Music, History, Literature, Engilsh, Computer, Geography, Physics, physical-Education, Mathematics and Health lessons.It has a headmaster,an assistant,and twenty-three teachers and a civil-servant.It has twenty-two computers in computer room.There are two hundred schoolgirls and two hundred-six schoolboys etc. Could you contact with us in English immediately,please? We are looking forward to your kind reply as soon as possible.

Answer

The German Education Server is a web portal and offers internet resources about education in Germany. We are no school and we do not participate in EU-projects.

For information about Comenius-projects in Germany you best contact the Paedagogischen Austauschdienst (PAD) (pedagogic exchange service) http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=22 Unfortunately, the website is only in German. Their contact address you can find at http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=24

They also offer a link list for partner search: http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=3

General information on Comenius can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/comenius/activities/comenius1_en.html

Starting school, primary school Schleswig-Holstein

Question

My son was born in ..., and is attending the "reception year" at the ..., England. Here school starts the year that the children are 5, and he can already recognise letters and numbers, do some very basic reading, and basic maths (sums etc). I have the possibility to move to ... in Germany in the summer for work. I know that children in Germany start school the year they are 6-7, which for him wouldn't be until 2008-2009. Please could you let me know what would exactly happen or what are the possibilities for him, as spending one year out of school doesn't sound like a good idea now that he has already started school; nor it would be attending a class where the children are still learning to recognise letters and numbers!

Answer

In Schleswig-Holstein there is a new concept for school starters called "Eingangsphase" or sometimes "Flexible Eingangsphase" (flexible beginning). It means that children can spend a different amount of time (1,2 or 3 years) for the first two years at school, depending on the child's abilities. More information can be found at the education server for Schleswig-Holstein at: http://grs.lernnetz.de/eingang.php3 The website is only in German but the editors might be able to help you in English: http://grs.lernnetz.de/impress.php3

The local school authority (Schulamt) can also give you advice. The addresses can be found at http://landesregierung.schleswig-holstein.de/coremedia/generator/Aktueller_20Bestand/MBF/Information/Bildung/Schulamt.html

General information about the primary school in Schleswig-Holstein can be found at the ministry of education: http://landesregierung.schleswig-holstein.de/coremedia/generator/Aktueller_20Bestand/MBF/Information/Bildung/Grundschulen.html

The parents' organisations in SH can be found at: http://www.lernnetz-sh.de/index.php?id=28&layout=&style= Maybe they can advise you as well.

Technical infrastructure at schools, administration and financing

Question

My name is..., I am teacher at ...;Chile. I also carry out some educational activities in the Computer Science Institute, at ... - Chile.

At present, I’am doing a Post Degree Program in that University; I am in the final phase (Thesis Work or Memory) of a Masters in Educative Computer Science.

In order to achieve a good end in this vocational educational training, I'm doing a research that it explore and investigate the conditions that require the educational establishments (in Chile) to get a major autonomy in the infrastructure management and services ICT (Information, Communications, Technologies).

In order to describe a theoretic framework of the international experience on this matter, i need to distract its attention to request you to indicate me how it is the management technological experience of infrastructure and services in the primary and secondary educational establishments in Deutschland.

I need to know the international experience in advanced countries as yours... to know how the establishments manage of technological infrastructure incorporation; how is the funding to get these resources and if exists autonomy in the schools on this matter on the technological implementation? Who and how they take decisions about to the technological implementation in the schools?

I would request if you could indicate me some contact, like a Web Site or another alternative that allows to obtain the data I need.

Answer

I cannot give you a detailed answer as Germany is a federal state and there are 16 school systems. For questions about the implementation and management of the technological infrastructure in schools I would advise you to contact the education servers of the 16 states: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450 The addresses of the ministries of education can be found at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

There is also an organisation whose main task was to connect schools to the internet and that now supports projects on using the new media in school contexts. Maybe they can be helpful as well: http://www.schulen-ans-netz.de/index.php Unfortunately the website is only available in German.

Bilingual school in Bavaria

Question

I am trying to gather information about German school choice for my daughters who are 6, 5, and 2 years old. Specifically, I may be moving to Germany for a period of 2 to 3 years and I would like to find a bilingual school near Regensburg. Is there a list of bilingual schools available that you can provide to me?

Answer

Following this link, you will find a list of international schools in Germany http://www.bildungsserver.de/db/mlesen.html?Id=22777

The following link will lead you to the general school database of the bavarian ministry of education. You will also find details of contact persons on this page if you have further questions. http://www.bildungsserver.de/db/mlesen.html?Id=11665

School holidays in Germany

Question

I would like to know the schools calendar in Germany for the year 2007/2008. Will You be so kind to let me know ? In Italy we have short vacations during Christmas and Easter and very long during summer. This becomes a big problem for families were both parents are working, so we will try to ask our local politicians, to change the Italian school calendar relating it to the ones of others European Community countries.

Answer

Unfortunately, we do not have common holiday and school schedules In Germany - they are different in each of the 16 german "Bundesländer". Please visit the following link on Deutscher Bildungsserver, http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=280, where you find the holiday schedules of all Bundesländer. Information is only given in German, though.

Norms for accesssibility in school architecture

Question

We are an architectural and contracting company in Egypt, middle east We are responsible of designing a new special needs school, our objective is to make a flexible design of a multi special needs schools building (learning difficulties including /SPLD, emotional, behavioural and social difficulties, sensory or physical difficulties, autism spectrum disorders & asperger's) and a small motel for the long stay and internal education department. we are making this design for free to the non profit new project as a help and to give something more valuable than making a design with fee to assure we are on the right track i decided to send this mail to your honour asking for your help to supply us with the available technical data required to make a successful design achieve the goals of this structure and make sure it will give the kids the required service. we need the allowable technical data of the buildings like required spaces, min. number of classes, best class composition, best required areas, min corridors width .. etc. we already have some date but we are looking to make international standars in our design to help them as we can.

Answer

Unfortunately we are not able to supply any technical data, as we are a web catalogue and only link to Internet resources.

We have some resources on disability-friendly building at http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1048 and on accessibility and mobility at http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4782 but most links lead to information only available in German. Maybe some of the websites provide information in English or someone there can help you further.

A central institution concerned with questions of norms and matters of security in school buildings is the Zentralstelle für Normungsfragen und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Bildungswesen (Office for Norms and Economy in Education): http://www.kmk.org/znwb/home1.htm It is part of the "The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". The website offers no information in English. The central contact address is: poststelle@kmk.org

Here are some resources in English on accessibility and architecture I could find on the web:

Independent living institute http://www.independentliving.org/

link list http://db1.rehadat.de/rehadat/eng/Reha.KHS?State=15210

United Nations: Enable http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disisea.htm and http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/index.html

Planning for accessibility, journal article http://asumag.com/mag/university_planning_accessibility/

link list http://sbw.cefpifoundation.org/federal_resources.html

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/accessibility.cfm

Accessibility-for-All & Facilitation Design http://www.accessibility-for-all.eu/arch/adapthouse.htm

European Concept for Accessibility http://www.eca.lu/

Scholarship for school exchange (Colombia)

Question

I am ... from Colombia, South America. I found your e.mail on internet, I contact you because I am trying to get a Scholarship to my brother, he is studying at Deutsche Schule Medellín, Colombia and as part of his studies, next year he must go to Germany and study there for one year, our interest is to get you sponsoring to do that (the trip, study, homestay)

Answer

The German Education Server (Deutscher Bildungsserver) is a web catalogue and only links to resources on the Internet. We do not offer any scholarships.

On our website "Financial support for foreign students. Grants." http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=2416 we have a collection of foundations that offer scholarships to foreign students, maybe they support pupils as well.

Via our website "School Exchange" http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=464 you can find organisations for school exchange that might be helpful as well.

More information about Germany in generel and information about exchange programmes in English can be found via "Find out about Germany": http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4094

Another source of information could be the German embassy in Bogota: http://www.bogota.diplo.de/Vertretung/bogota/es/Startseite.html

Database of all schools in Germany

Question

How would i get a database of all the schools in Germany (Colleges and High School equivalent)

Answer

A collection of databases of schools in Germany can be found on page http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=276

The here listed nation-wide databases do not list all schools and are often specialised on certain aspects, e.g. Catholic schools etc. As schools are the domain of the federal states you better consult the regional databases (on the second part of the page) and look for secondary schools. Common school types are: Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium, Gesamtschule. But there exist more variaties depending on the state. "Grundschule" means primary/elementary school.

For information about the German education system see also: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505

Special education in Germany, typical school day

Question

I am a teacher in the USA doing graduate work in education. Could you send me sample schedules of a day in the life of a student in elementary, middle and high school? I know you have different tracks for kids? I teach special education. Could you tell me more about your special education programs?

I am also in search of literature in English such as brochures about the German School System. Do you have any information like this I could pass out to my fellow teachers? There are 30 of us in my class.

Answer

For general information about the German education system you can find resources on the following page: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505 Some of the resources are available in English: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4112 There are also some on special education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4523

As we only link to resources on the internet we cannot send you any material in print. Some of the resources from the pages above are available as pdf-files.

On our server there is more information about special school education, but most of the resources are only available in German: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1006

Unfortunately I cannot provide a sample schedule for a school day. As school education is a domain of the federal states there are in fact 16 varieties of education systems. School organisation can therefore differ as well. For more information about the school systems in the federal states (Laender) you can consult the respective education servers: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450 or ministries of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

Class size in Germany

Question

I am a citizen in Hong Kong and I am interested in the education in Germany. I have surfed your website but couldn't find any information about the class size policy in German primary and secondary schools. Could you possibly help to send me the related information (if any)? Was any research done before the class size policy was implemented in Germany?

2. Question

Are there any websites about class size policy of the primarry and secondary schools in Germany that are written in English?

Answer

you can find the actual average number of pupils per class (Klassenfrequenz Schueler per Klasse) in Schüler, Klassen, Lehrer und Absolventen der Schulen 1996 bis 2005 at http://www.kmk.org/statist/Dok181.pdf on page 11. But, as you may know, Germany is a federal country meaning that the States (Laender) are entirely responsible for all school questions: http://www.bildungsserver.de/db/mlesen_e.html?Id=29402 Therefore you remark a lot of differences according the Laender and it is visible that they have slightly different policies according that question.

But I do not know a published policy according that question. But when you have a look into the OECD publication "Education at a glance" you remark differences between countries and also how much money is spend in average per pupil etc... There are a few publications on that question in German, but you probably will not get the articles and books in Hong Kong, I think. You find them in http://www.fachportal-paedagogik.de/fis_bildung/fis_form.html but without a subscription it may not help.

There is some research according to that question mainly showing, that class size does not matter for measured results of pupils knowledge. But there are also contra dictionary results shooing that it is depending of the teaching methods used...

Some private schools have their policy formulated such as the Walldorfschulen (according to Rudolf Steiner) saying "Jedes Talent sollte in einer Klasse mindestens zweimal vertreten sein" and run therefore normally classes over 30 pupils...

In Discussion papers which are in full text in the Internet at http://www.iza.org/ you find a lot of paters dealing with different aspect of the theme for example

http://ftp.iza.org/dp501.pdf ftp://ftp.iza.org/dps/dp744.pdf ftp://ftp.iza.org/dps/dp485.pdf http://ftp.iza.org/dp261.pdf

2. Answer

unfortunately there are no texts in English on that theme, as I know. I do also not know any formulated policy in German on that theme, but discussions by scientiest as the three titles you got..

As you may know there are a few variables for school such as money for school system, class size, number of teachers (per teaching subject)... If money is the independent variable, meaning that politically fixed) than one has to make it very rough, two possibilities: decrease class size and you need more teachers which you have than to pay a low salary, if your budget keeps the same size. Or, when you prefer highly qualified teachers which will than get more salary, you only can increase the number of pupils per class...

The statistic at http://www.kmk.org/statist/Dok181.pdf page 11 is surely also understandable for you. You have to look at the original because by mail it merges, but thus I can add a few explanations in English. The high number of school types is due to the fact that it is a national German statistics and schools are entirely the policy of every of the 16 States....

Klassenfrequenzen in ausgewählten Schularten 2002 bis 2005 (Schüler je Klasse) (grade (class) frequencies in selected school types fron 2002 t0 2005)

Schulart 2002 2003 2004 2005

Allgemein bildende Schulen (general education schools)

Grundschulen (Primary schools)22,0 22,0 22,0 22,1

Schulartunabhängige Orientierungsstufe (orientation schools autonomous from other school forms) 23,5 23,7 22,3 22,1

Hauptschulen (see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=29&sp=1& ) 21,9 21,8 21,4 21,1

Schularten mit mehreren Bildungsgängen (Typs of school offering several leaving certificats such as: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=82&sp=1& and as http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?g_name=Mittlerer+Schulabschluss&sp=1 ) 22,0 21,7 21,9 21,1

Realschulen (See http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=41&sp=1& ) 26,8 26,9 26,8 26,8

Gymnasien, see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=27&sp=1& ) Klassenstufen 5 bis 10 ( grade 5 to 10) 26,8 26,8 27,0 27,2

Integrierte Gesamtschulen, (see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=23&sp=1& ) Klassenstufen 5 bis 10 (grade 5 to 10) 26,1 26,2 26,2 26,4

Förderschulen für Lernbehinderte (see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?g_name=Sonderschule&sp=1 ) 11,9 11,8 11,6 11,4

Berufliche Schulen (Vollzeitform) (Technical and professionsl school -fulltime,)

Berufsgrundbildungsjahr (see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=115&sp=1& ) 21,4 21,6 21,7 21,5

Berufsaufbauschulen ( a professionsl school fot professional upgrading...) see 25,2 25,7 25,8 25,3

Fachoberschulen (see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=15&sp=1& ) 23,6 23,8 23,6 23,3

Berufsfachschulen (see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=7&sp=1& ) 22,1 22,3 22,4 22,3

Fachschulen (see http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=16&sp=1& ) 20,4 20,9 21,0 21,0

Berufsschule im dualen System ( see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossarset.html?Id=9&sp=1& ) 20,0 19,9 20,0 19,9

The earlier mentionned text under http://www.bildungsserver.de/db/mlesen_e.html?Id=29402 is also in English, you have tu look under the text in German...

Partner school for youth project with Moldova

Question

We ARE LOOKING FOR SCHOOLS FROM GERMANY to cooperate and make exchange projects in the folowing programme which is very interesting and helpful for Europe and Moldova:

Europeans for Peace. Looking back and moving forward. www.europeans-for-peace.de <http://www.europeans-for-peace.de> We are an network of 40 youth clubs in 40 schools of Moldova.

Answer

For information about school exchange with Germany you best contact the Paedagogischen Austauschdienst (PAD)(pedagogic exchange service) http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=22 Unfortunately, the website is only in German. Their contact address can be found at http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=24

They also offer some links for partner search: http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=3

Information on eTwinning: http://www.etwinning.net/ww/en/pub/etwinning/index2006.htm

Partner finding forum of the European Schoolnet: http://www.europeanschoolnet.org/eun_org_pforum/index.cfm

The Schulweb (school web) also offers contact opportunities for schools, see "Communication": http://www.schulweb.de/en/deutschland/index.html?anzeige=m

General information on exchange programmes: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4811

Regulations for physics exams in secondary schools

Question

I am currently reading for a Masters in Education degree with the University of .... My main research area in School Based assessment in the secondary school exam. I would appreciate if you send me the different public secondary exam boards (16+, or scholl leaving examinations) for Physics that are available in your country and if coursework or school based (internal) assessment is considered for the final grade. If so what work does this coursework consist (eg lab work, internal test etc) of and what is the weighting of such assessment on the final grade.

Answer

I was asked a similar question some time ago about English language exams in Germany. You can find the answer in our Wiki-information desk at: http://wiki.bildungsserver.de/infoboerse/index.php/School_education#Regulations_for_English_language_exams_of_the_Abitur_.28A-level.29 Most of the ressources should be useful for you as well, but please note that nearly all the information is only available in German.

Concerning physics education I can offer you the Unified examination requirements for physics (Abitur): http://www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/EPA-Physik.pdf

Of interest should also be our collection of resources on education standards in Germany: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1584 The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Laender in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK) has passed some resolutions concerning specific subjects for school leaving exams at the age of 15 (Hauptschulabschluss, Jahrgangsstufe 9) and 16 (Mittlerer Bildungsabschluss, Jahrgangsstufe 10): http://www.kmk.org/schul/Bildungsstandards/bildungsstandards-neu.htm Standards in physics for "Jahrgangsstufe 10): http://www.kmk.org/schul/Bildungsstandards/Physik_MSA16-12-04.pdf

For more detailed information you should contact the ministries of education of the federal states, as the education systems differ from each other: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

You can also try and contact the education servers of the federal states: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450

For general information on the German education system see also: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505

School system in Bavaria

Question

I am french , do speak a bit of German. I live in Cape Town in South Africa and would like to move to Germany, to Munich this year. My children are 12 and 10 and do also speak a bit of German. Their father is German. Which school and which grade would you recommend for them ? I would need a public state school as the private schools are too expensive and I can't afford their fees. Do you think my children would have to repeat at least one primary class ? I still don't know in which area in Munich I will be staying in.. What date is the start of a new year ? and how long in advance must I apply for a school place for my 2 children ?

Answer

Information in English on the education system in Bavaria can be found at the ministry of education: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/education/

The general website for school councelling in Bavaria is at: http://www.schulberatung.bayern.de/ for Munich: http://www.schulberatung-muenchen.de/ (both in German)

A graphic overview of the Bavarian school system can be found at: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/schule/schularten/ Secondary school starts at the age of 10. You can choose between Hauptschule (lowest level), Realschule (higher level) and Gymnasium (highest level, qualifies for university).

The dates for the school year change annually. In 2008 the next school year starts at 15. September 2008. The holidays can be found at: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/rat_auskunft/ferien/

There is also information about support for pupils whose first language is not German: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/schule/schularten/allgemein/migrantenfoerderung/index.shtml (unfortunately only in German)

For further information and advice you should contact either the ministry of education or the school councelling for Munich mentioned above.

School partnership Germany - Czech Republic

Question

I am a pupil of a primary school in the Czech Republic. Now our class is making a project called "FRIENDSHIP". In this project we would like to find and contact aschool in a foreign country to make up friendship between us and your studentsusing English and the Internet communication. Could you help me to find a newfriend of mine? Please, provide someone(s) of your students interested ine-mailing with my e-mail address, or send his/her address(es) back to me.

Answer

You have contacted the Deutscher Bildungsserver (German Education Server). We are no school but offer internet resources on education in Germany.

For information about school exchange with Germany you best contact the Paedagogischen Austauschdienst (PAD) (pedagogic exchange service) http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=22 Unfortunately, the website is only in German. Their contact address can be found at http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=24

They also offer some links for partner search: http://www.kmk-pad.org/index.php?id=3

Information on eTwinning: http://www.etwinning.net/ww/en/pub/etwinning/index2006.htm

Partner finding forum of the European Schoolnet: http://www.europeanschoolnet.org/eun_org_pforum/index.cfm

The Schulweb (school web) also offers contact opportunities for schools, see "Communication": http://www.schulweb.de/en/deutschland/index.html?anzeige=m

Useful contact address for German-Czech exchange:

Nadace Brücke/Most http://www.bruecke-most-stiftung.de/cz/?id=10

http://www.tschechien-portal.info/?newlang=ces

Tandem http://www.tandem-org.de/start.php

Pontes http://www.pontes-pontes.de/

Curriculum for secondary level in English

Question

I am looking for the German secondary level curriculum. Could you please send me a copy, in English if possible, of this document?

2. Question

Would you be kind enough to send me the contact details of the person in charge of the ministry of education of the Berlin district?

Answer

In Germany there is not only one secondary level curriculum but sixteen, according to the federal education system of the german Bundesländer. Following this link http://bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=400 you will find a list of State curricula for general education schools in Germany, mostly in german language only, though.

For more information, please contact the ministry of education of the Bundesland you are interested in. Curricula might possibly be available in English language there.

2. Answer

this is the link to Berlin's administration of culture, education and science http://www.berlin.de/sen/bildung/ You will find contact details on the webpage.

Teachers of German who teach immigrant pupils

Question

I work with newly immigrated (from Mexico) students in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I am conducting research for a doctorate degre and would like to correspond with German educators who teach newly immigrated students.

Do you know of educators with whom I could correspond. I am taking German lessons, however I do not speak German.

Answer

We do offer comprehensive informations about educators in Germany who teach german as foreign language/bilingual classes. All information is in german language only, though. Please feel free to visit our website about this topic on http://bildungsserver.de/zeigen.html?seite=3306 Apart from that, unfortunately we do not have something like a database of such educators. You might gain names and addresses you could contact on the above mentioned webpage, german teachers are supposed to be able to communicate in english language.

Organisations for promoting information technology at school

Question

I am working for a Dutch foundation for promoting the use of software in primary and secondary education. Our activities initially focused on Holland and Belgium, but now we are moving to Germany and France as well. I would like to have some information on the organizations / foundations in Germany that are related to the use / promotion of software / information technology in Germany.

Answer

The following organizations/ foundations and websites might be of interest:

VDS Bildungsmedien http://www.vds-bildungsmedien.de/ association of publishers and companies providing media for education

Stiftung Digitale Chancen http://www.digitale-chancen.de/ Digital Opportunities Foundation

Initiative D21 http://www.initiatived21.de/en/Information_for_english_speaking_visitors.104.0.html?

Schulen ans Netz http://www.schulen-ans-netz.de/ initially their task was to connect schools to the Internet now the focus is on learning with digital media

Lehrer online http://www.lehrer-online.de/ information on digital media for teachers

Media initiatives by the Länder http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=770 use the map to obtain information for each Bundesland as the list below does not list all Bundeslaender

Teaching in Germany

Question

I am interested in teaching English at a primary/elementary school. I have been teaching English (independently) at a kindergarden level for almost 4 years. I am a native speaker (born in Germany and raised in Canada). Could you please let me know how I could get started teaching or how I could assist teaching English.

Answer

For information on the recognition of foreign qualifications you can contact the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen): http://www.kmk.org/zab/home1.htm or the ministry of education of the Bundesland you want to work in. The addresses can be found at http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580 They can tell you whether your qualifications are sufficient to become a teacher in Germany or if an additional qualification is needed and how you can obtain it.

If you are interested in working in the private school sector you can also contact the Verband der Privatschulen: http://www.privatschulen.de/

Job offers can be found via our Jobs in Education webpage: http://www.bildungsserver.de/jobboerse/index_e.html

Secondary schools in Germany

Question

I would like to know if I can trust the informations on your website and if there are all the second level german school in.

Answer

of course you can trust the informations on our website. Schulweb.de is run by the German Institute for International Educational Research and FWU Institute for Film in Education. Our database is not a complete listing of all schools in Germany, because schools do register themselves. You can find further databases of schools in the german Bundesländer visiting our website http://bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=144

Human rights education in Germany

Question

please send me any information about Human Rights Education in germany through educational policy school or learning environment

Anser

As the German Education Server offers references to online information only, I would like to point you out to our bilingual dossier on Human Rights Education, which provides a compilation of relevant sources with a focus on policy and education (Germany, European Union), see http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=5784

You might also find the HRE site provided by the German UNESCO office useful, see http://www.unesco.de/menschenrechte.html?L=1

Graduation requirements at secondary schools

Question

I am a high school student with a project to find out what are the graduation requiremets of schools outside the US. I am wondering where can I find the information to the graduation requirement to graduate secondary education in Germany. If it is located on the site, may I recieve help to be lead to the information I am seeking?

Answer

For general information about the German education system see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505 Some resources are also available in English. A compilation of solely English resources can be found at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4112

Detailed information about graduation requirements is more difficult to find and I am afraid not available in English. In Germany you can leave secondary school at the age of 15 (9 school years), 16 (10 school years) or 18/19 (12 or 13 school years, depends on the state). At the end of 12/13 years there are exams (in German: Abitur) that qualify for university. Each of the 16 federal states has its own rules but there are exam requirements along the same lines for all subjects (called Einheitliche Pruefungsanforderungen in der Abiturpruefung) that you can find at: http://www.kmk.org/doc/publ/pub.htm#faecher The texts are only in German.

The states have recently introduced exams for school leavers after 9 and 10 years but as far as I know there are no common exam requirements yet. To find out about the details for all graduation levels mentioned you best consult the respective ministries of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

Of interest might also be our collection of information on standards in education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1584 The federal states have developed standards to be met by different age groups. The achievement of these standards is tested on a regular basis. The actual information is only in German as well.

Compulsory education in the secondary sector in Germany

Question

I am researching Vocational Training in Germany for the purpose of formulating a proposal for my school.

I cannot find anywhere precisely up to what age secondary education is compulsory, although I assume this to be 16.

The Hauptschule takes a student to year 9, after which year 10 is voluntary. I assume, however, that in any case after year 9 a student must continue somewhere to complete Secondary Level 1. However, the Hauptschule description does not actually state that further (vocational?) education is compulsory.

Nevertheless, under the heading of Berufsaufbauschulen reference is made to Berufsschulpflicht (English translation: part-time vocational training, whereas in fact the Berufsgrundbildungsjahr can be full-time). If all this refers to Hauptschule followed by Berufsgrundbildungsjahr and/or Duale Berufsausbildung (compulsory for how long – I guess 2 years?), then the text does not make that very clear to me.

Answer

Unfortunately the system of vocational training in Germany is rather complicated and not exactly the same in the different Bundesländer, may be, this causes some uncertainty. I am not quite sure, which document you refer to, I suppose that it is probably this one http://www.bmbf.de/pub/bildung_in_deutschland.pdf Education in Germany : Basic structure of the education system of the Federal Republic of Germany

More detailed information is given in two other documents (see below) to which I refer in the following.

The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany 2006 http://www.kmk.org/dossier/home00.htm National dossier http://www.kmk.org/dossier/dossierinhalt.htm , drawn up by the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz KMK) each year since 1993 as part of the Information Network on Education in Europe (EURYDICE).

http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/465/5173_en.pdf Vocational education and training in Germany. Short description By: European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the European Union's reference Centre for vocational education and training

Concerning compulsory education, see the following statements:

Lower secondary level covers the age group of pupils between 10 and 15/16 years old and upper secondary level the pupils between 15/16 and 18/19 years old. Both age groups are required to attend school: the former full-time, the latter, 15- to 19-year-olds, generally parttime for three years or until they have reached the age of 18, unless they are attending a fulltime school (KMK Dossier, 5.5, p. 106, http://www.kmk.org/dossier/secondary.pdf)

Compulsory full-time education begins at the age of six and lasts nine years (or ten years, depending on the Land). After that young people who are no longer in full-time education must attend a part-time (vocational) school for three years. To simplify, in Germany compulsory education exists for persons aged 6-18 and for trainees in the dual system (even if they are over 18). (Cedefop, p. 22, http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/465/5173_en.pdf)

Differences between the Bundesländer, see:

Specific legislative framework. Secondary schools providing general and vocational education Based on the Education Acts (R70, R72, R74, R76, R78, R81, R83, R85, R87-88, R90, R92, R98, R100-102) and Compulsory Schooling Acts (R93) of the German Länder the school regulations known as Schulordnungen for schools providing general and vocational education contain detailed regulations covering the content of the courses as well as the leaving certificates and entitlements obtainable on completion of lower and upper secondary education. (KMK-Dossier, 5.3, p. 104, http://www.kmk.org/dossier/secondary.pdf)

The systems of vocational education in the Bundesländer differ from each other and some types of school only exist in a few Länder. The following documents give an overview, but unfortunately most of the information is only available in German

http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=524 Types of school in vocational education

http://infobub.arbeitsagentur.de/bbz/modul1/modul_1_6.html Schulabschlüsse - Bundesländer

In case additional information is required, you could contact the Kultusministerkonferenz KMK, see http://www.kmk.org/beruf/home1.htm Berufliche Bildung im Sekretariat der Kultusministerkonferenz Email: berufsbildung@kmk.org

2. Question

As far as the formal system goes, this is now fully understood. It looks as though after the 2-year bridge, at year 7, students can go in three different directions, of which the Hauptschule is the least academically rigorous.

This still leaves the question of what to do with those who really cannot cope with even this lesser regime, and strictly speaking should go into vocational education immediately at year 7, of course combined with suitable academic instruction.

I believe that in The Netherlands this is now finally recognised with the introduction of “practical education”, and I wonder whether in Germany a similar development is envisaged.

It is this that I hope to encourage in my school, although the formal state system makes no provision for this, all pupils going to the same comprehensive (not to be confused with your Gesamtschule) after year 6. This of course is the cause of much of the UK’s educational problems and continues to stimulate private schools.

2. Answer

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the programme of "practical education" introduced in the Netherlands, you mention. I am not quite sure if this refers only to Benachteiligtenförderung, the promotion of disadvantaged youths or also to special education. Support measures in special education see below

http://www.kmk.org/dossier/special.pdf Information on specific support measures and special educational support at special schools, schools for children with learning difficulties (KMK Dossier, 10.5.3., p. 258; 10.6., p. 259).

There is also a number of support measures and projects concerning Benachteiligtenförderung, most of them on an individual basis, I suppose. The following institutions are concerned with Benachteiligtenförderung and also conceive support measures. Perhaps you could contact them, in case you need more detailed information.

http://www.good-practice.de/gpc_flyer_engl.pdf Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung BIBB: Good Practice Centre GPC - an instrument of occupational integration. "With its Good Practice Centre (GPC) for the assistance of disadvantaged individuals in vocational training, Germany has equipped itself with a tool that could be relevant for other countries, too. Since its establishment in 2000 the GPC has grown into a major centre of excellence for assistance for the disadvantaged. It is attached to BIBB and can be accessed on the Internet at www.good-practice.de. "

http://www.dji.de/cgi-bin/projekte/output.php?projekt=466&sprache=E Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI): Department: Transitions to Work

http://www.en.inbas.com/ Institute for Vocational Training, Labour Market and Social Policy. Research - Planning - Consultancy - INBAS GmbH

Level of education - immigrants and their descendants

Question

I am looking for statistics on the level of education for Immigrants and especially their descendants. Do you have statistics on this, or do you know where I should look?

Answer

General resources on education statistics can be found on page http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=26

The page "Education and migration" assembles all the information available on our server concerning this topic: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4392

Of special interest might be:

The 1. National Education Report for Germany that focusses on migration: http://www.bildungsbericht.de/zeigen.html?seite=6129

PISA 2003: The situation of immigrant children http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4271

Report on the situation of foreigners in Germany (by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration) http://www.bundesregierung.de/nn_56708/Content/DE/Publikation/IB/7-auslaenderbericht.html

Working time of physics teachers

Question

I’m writing you regarding physics teachers teaching load in your primary and secondary school. Since Croatia is going through educational reform, we would like to have certain data from other countries so we can compare it with our country.

So it would be very helpful and useful if you could answer on the following questions:

1) How many hours a week of direct teaching load do physics teachers have in your country in primary and secondary school?

2) What is the norm of other working obligations physics teachers have in your country in primary and secondary school (specifically for advanced classes and remedial work classes)?

3) What is the teaching load of physics teachers in primary and secondary school in comparison to other subject teachers?

4) What is the ratio between theoretical – teaching and lab work at physics classes?

Just to give you an idea, in Croatia, physics teachers have 22 hours a week of direct teaching load in both primary and secondary school. Norm of other working obligations is 18 hours a week (preparation, monitoring, advanced classes, remedial work classes, free activities, and so on). It is not exactly determined how many hours a week should go for advanced classes and remedial work classes. Full working norm is 40 hours a week.

In comparison to other subject teachers, they have two hours more of direct teaching load than mother tongue and math teacher, one hour more than foreign language teacher, and two hours less than physical education teachers. Teaching load of all other subject teachers is the same as physics teachers teaching load.

Answer

As Germany is a federal state and each state has its own education system and legal framework I would advise you to directly contact the respective ministries of education for information about working hours for teachers. The addresses can be found at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

The teachers' unions and associations can also provide you with information. A list can be found at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=666 The "Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft" even offers an overview of working hours in the federal states by school types, though not specifically for the different subjects: http://www.gew.de/Binaries/Binary27967/SYN%20Pflichtstunden%202007-04.pdf

Another contact address could be the German association of mathematic and science teachers ("Deutscher Verein zur Förderung des mathematischen und naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichts e.V."): http://www.mnu.de/ The person responsible for physics teachers is: Gerwald.Heckmann@mnu.de

Information on working time of teachers in Europe can also be found at Eurydice: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/ByTopicsResults?topicCode=aace&subTopicCode=aaef

Cooperation in teacher education with Lithuania

Question

We are training centre located in Lithuania. We are looking for partners for our teacher’s qualification improvement (construction sector).

Answer

Please note that Deutscher Bildungsserver is no training centre but an internet guide to education related information on the internet that only provides online information on the german education system. Therefore there are no opportunities for cooperation we could offer. Enclosed we send you some internet links to institutions concerned with cooperation in vocational training. We hope, this can help you.

http://www.bgz-berlin.de/en/bgz.shtml BGZ Berlin International Cooperation Agency GmbH

http://www.imove-germany.org/en/about-imove-199.html IMOVE information and guidance centre (information on vocational training, cooperation exchange)

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc82_en.htm Leonardo da Vinci programme

http://studyvisits.cedefop.europa.eu/index.asp?cid=1&artid=&scid=&artlang=EN Cedefop: Study visits

Special education needs support/ special needs schools in Hesse

Question

I am writing in assist of a client seeking information on possible enrollment of his special needs son. As my client will relocate to the Frankfurt area, the need is for enrollment in the upper school or high school of the Frankfurt Education School system. However, my client's son does have certain special education needs and we are having great difficulty learning of the availability of special education programming within the Frankfurt Public or Private Education system.

It will be of great help were someone at the Institute able to provide us with some basic guidance in respect of the system of special education programming in the German public school system. If it is not possible, but you can suggest contacts in the school system that too will be appreciated.

Answer

Special education schools in the federal state of Hessen are called "Foerderschule" and are subdivided according to the type of disability (i.e. schools for children with learning difficulties, schools for the blind, speech impairment etc.) One type is called "Schule fuer Erziehungshilfe" (for those with social and emotional deficits and behaviour problems). As I am not an expert in special needs education I cannot say for certain whether this would be the right type of school for your client's son or the "Schule fuer Lernhilfe" (learning difficulties). Very often students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder go to a regular school.

For advice on the school system in Hessen and the right school in the Frankfurt area you best contact the "Staatliche Schulamt Frankfurt" (education authority for Frankfurt): http://www.schulamt-frankfurt.hessen.de/

There is a support system for students with special needs and part of it are the "Beratungs- und Foerderzentren (BFZ)" (centres for advice and support, located at the special schools). I found one in Frankfurt for the above mentioned "Erziehungshilfe": http://www.schulserver.hessen.de/frankfurt/berthold-simonsohn/index.htm Maybe they can help you further. Here is an address list of all centres: http://www.kultusministerium.hessen.de/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/slimp.CMReader/HKM_15/HKM_Internet/med/960/9605ca88-f9a5-711f-3efe-f91921321b2c,22222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222,true.pdf (unfortunately without e-mail or web address) You can search for the schools with advice centres and their homepages via the school database: http://schule.bildung.hessen.de/info/daten1

For general information about special needs education in Hessen you can consult the education server for Hessen: http://sonderpaedagogik.bildung.hessen.de/news/index.html or the ministry of education in Hessen: http://www.kultusministerium.hessen.de/irj/HKM_Internet?cid=9826175756adc83044fc071c043ee224

Unfortunately all the information is only available in German, but usually you will find a contact person who can communicate in English.

General texts about special needs education in Germany in English can be found at: http://www.european-agency.org/site/national_pages/germany/index.html and http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html

School leaving exam and school fees in Germany

Question

I would like to know more about the examination fee system in your country. Many thanks for your advice and help in advance!

l What is the official or formal name of “secondary school leaving public examination” in your country?

l What are the age and grade of students attending “secondary school leaving public examination” in your country?

l For the “secondary school leaving public examination”, How many subjects and how much examination fee they have to pay in total so that they can fulfill the basic requirement to move on to the next stage , if any, such as university entry examination?

l For the domestic students, do they have to self-finance the entire exam fee (“secondary school leaving public examination”) on their own?

l Does your government pay or subsidize partially or fully the examination fee of secondary school leaving public examination for the domestic students?

l Can the domestic students (without disability and special needs) apply some financial aid to cover public examination fee from the government?

l How about the international students? Do they have to pay the “secondary school leaving public examination” fee in full?

l Besides, how many years of free education are provided for the domestic students?

Answer

Here are the answers to your questions:

1) What is the official or formal name of “secondary school leaving public examination” in your country?

There are several secondary school leaving certificates, depending on how long you stay at a secondary school and what type of school you go to. The exam that qualifies pupils to attend a university is called "Abitur" or "Allgemeine Hochschulreife".

2) What are the age and grade of students attending “secondary school leaving public examination” in your country?

When pupils take that exam (Abitur) they are about 18 or 19 years old and in school year 12 or 13. Again this depends on the federal state in which you go to school and the type of school you attend.

3) For the “secondary school leaving public examination”, How many subjects and how much examination fee they have to pay in total so that they can fulfill the basic requirement to move on to the next stage , if any, such as university entry examination?

The Abitur exam comprises four or five subjects (at least three written exam subjects and one oral exam subject). Detailed information about the Abitur can be found on the website of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (unfortunately only in German): http://www.kmk.org/bildung-schule/allgemeine-bildung/abitur/abiturpruefung-in-der-gymnasialen-oberstufe.html

There are no examination fees for school leaving exams in Germany. There are school fees if you attend a private school.

4) For the domestic students, do they have to self-finance the entire exam fee (“secondary school leaving public examination”) on their own?

See question 3.

5) Does your government pay or subsidize partially or fully the examination fee of secondary school leaving public examination for the domestic students?

See question 3.

6) Can the domestic students (without disability and special needs) apply some financial aid to cover public examination fee from the government?

There is general financial support for pupils who are in need.

7) How about the international students? Do they have to pay the “secondary school leaving public examination” fee in full?

I do not know whether there are any fees for exchange pupils who take the school leaving exam in Germany. The respective ministries of education will be able to tell you: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

8) Besides, how many years of free education are provided for the domestic students?

When you attend a state school the education is free from primary school to the final school leaving exam. Private schools charge fees.

For general information about the German education system you can find internet resources on the following page: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=506 Some of the websites are available in English.

Glossary on the educational system in the Federal Republic of Germany: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossar.html?sp=1

Schools in Nordrhein-Westfalen, tips for school excursions

Question

I want to ask you if you have a list with adresses or email adresses from the schools in Nordrhein Westfalen? Do you maybe have information about were these schools go to for excursion? I hope you have more information or some tips for me

Answer

You can search for schools in Nordrhein-Westfalen via the following website: http://www.schulministerium.nrw.de/BP/_suche1/SchuleSuchen/index.html

The ministry also offers a website with tips for excursions and school trips: http://www.schulministerium.nrw.de/BP/Andere_Lernorte__Ausflugstipps/index.html There is also a database of destinations.

Foreign languages at German schools

Question

I'd like to know about a specific aspect of the German school system, : the presence of modern languages in the curricula of the primary and secondary schools.

1. How many languages 2. How many periods per week (or per year) 3. What languages 4. Who cotrols the levels of learning (only the techer, any external authoruty?) 5. What the output of language teaching is.

Answer

As Germany is a federal state with 16 school systems I can only give general hints and information as the situation can differ in each state. For detailed information you best contact the respective ministries of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany offers an overview of foreign language teaching in Germany (in German only): http://www.kmk.org/bildung-schule/allgemeine-bildung/faecher-und-unterrichtsinhalte/fremdsprachen.html You should contact them as well.

They also provide general information in English on the education system: http://www.kmk.org/information-in-english/the-education-system-in-the-federal-republic-of-germany.html

Foreign language teaching at primary school is a new development, schools usually offer basics in English or French. Not all primary schools offer foreign languages.

Secondary schools usually teach one or two languages (in most cases English and/or French), those that qualify for university education teach two or more languages (English, French, Latin, Spanish, Russian and several others). The succession, number and kind of languages can vary.

Some schools are specialised in bilingual teaching or put an emphasis on language teaching, e.g. Europe schools/Europaschulen (not to be confused with European schools/Europäische Schulen that are founded by the governments of Europe) Portal on bilingual learning in Germany: http://lernen.bildung.hessen.de/bilingual/ Europe at school: http://www2.dipf.de/bildungsinformation/izb_bildungweltweit_dossier_europa_in_der_schule.htm

Basically the teachers control the level of learning according to the curriculum and other regulations. Over the last years education monitoring has been developed: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4599 and most states now have standards' tests at certain stages.

General resources on the German education system (some are available in English): http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505

Via Eurydice http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice you can find comparative studies on foreign language teaching in Europe.

Environmental education in Germany / school organisation

Question

I work for a Environmental organisation who are currently researching the possibility of developing a programme working with teachers in Germany to promote environmental issues in the classroom. I wondered if you would be able to help me with the below questions,

When are school terms in Germany?

When are teacher holidays?

If we were to provide a week long learning programme would schools be willing to release teachers or would they need to attend this in their holiday time?

How motivated are teachers to promote environmental issues in the classroom?

Are teachers willing to give up their spare time outside school time?

Are there are initiatives in schools to be the environment, conservation or ecology?

Do you know of any Environmental Educational organisations working in Germany?

Answer

I hope the following information is in some way helpful to you, even though I am afraid I might not be able to anser all of your questions:

The academic school year in Germany is organised in terms of a school year with usually six two weeks’ holiday at Christmas and Easter respectively, an autumn break and six weeks of summer holidays. These are not fixed as the German school system is subject to 16 federal states so the summer holidays may begin any time starting mid June upp until late July, with a duration of six weeks /(ending from early August to September accordingly). Please see the following documentation by EURYDICE for details:

Organisation of school time in Europe. Primary and secondary education 2007/2008. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/showPresentation?p ubid=092EN

Another useful source is the Standing Conference of Ministers of Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK), which is in charge of co-ordinating, administrating and policy-making in the area of primary and secondary eduction in Germany. For its English language resources, see http://www.kmk.org/information-in-english/the-education-system-in-the-federal-republic-of-germany.html

see, in particular, the country description http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Bildungswesen_en_pdfs/dossier_en_ebook.pdf

which will provide you with information regarding the organisation of school times, curricula, general and vocational education in Germans. See, for instance, the chapter on teaching methods and material – 5.14, p. 124

Genreally speaking, environmental education is very much an issue in German schools and it is subject to diverse disciplines/subjects and projects. As the curricula are laid down by the 16 states (Länder), it is difficult to make general statements as to teacher motivation, the time spent by teachers on the subject of environmental issues (climate change), or whether teachers would have to work on this topic in their spare time. These aspects might vry considerbly from one federal state to the next, the following site provides you with an index of the 16 Länder states and might be useful for contacts: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=612

For more details on the special issue of environmental education,see our English language dossier:

Environmental education in Germany http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=5592

One reference of particular interest is: German Institutes concerned with sustainable development: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=870 - click on to “details” to check for addresses. - see, for instance, the German NGO forum on environment and development http://www.forum-ue.de/index.php?id=3&L=1

Personally, I believe that teachers and pupils alike show a significant interest in the environment and issues such as climate change or renewable energies. One problem might be that workload is high and I am not particularly sure in how far they would be able to spend a week’s coursework within the curriucular framework on related training.

Civic education for migrant children

Question

I am a research assistant and a PhD student in .... I am doing a project on "citizenship education in Germany for migrant/minority children" i would be grateful if you could provide some information on the subject.

Answer

Citizenship education usually takes place at school and is for German and migrant children alike. The subject is usually called "Sozialkunde", "Gemeinschaftskunde" or "Politik" depending on the federal state and type of school. You can find links to curricula for German schools on our website at: Curricula http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=400 The curricula are only available in German.

We also have a collection of resources on learning and practicing democracy and participation at: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4631

For general information about the German education system see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505

Special programmes for migrant children and youth usually concentrate on language teaching and supporting the transition from school to vocational training and work. There are special integration courses for adults that include cultural and citizenship education, see: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=3686

To find information about political education for migrant children and youth outside the school context is not so easy. There are a lot of organisations active in youth work and some might offer what you are looking for. Here are some addresses that might help you further:

Kooperationsverbund Jugendsozialarbeit (association of youth work organisations): http://www.jugendsozialarbeit.de/ Under the heading "Kooperationsverbund" on the left you can find the member organisations.

Hauptstelle der Regionalen Arbeitsstellen zur Foerderung von Kindern und Jugendlichen aus Zuwandererfamilien (head quarter of the regional agencies for the promotion of children and youth from migrant families) http://www.raa.de/

Deutsches Jugendinstitut (institute for research on children, youth and families) http://www.dji.de/cgi-bin/projekte/output.php?projekt=818&sprache=E

Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (central agency for political education) http://www.bpb.de/

Bundesausschuss für Politische Bildung (federation of organisations for political education outside school) http://www.bap-politischebildung.de/

Regional education servers http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450

Ministries of Culture http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

European forum for migration studies (efms) http://www.efms.uni-bamberg.de/main_e.htm

School inspection in Germany

Question

I am working on my masters degree in Education Management and İnspection. The subject of my theses is to compare the inspection systems in EU countries with the Turkish Education Inspection System. At the moment I am doing a research about about the inspection systems in the EU countries but this is being more difficult than I expected since there is lots of information about the education syatems but not much about the evaluation process. And most countries provide informetion in their native language not in english. Therefore I decided to ask for your help.

I would be greateful, if you can send me some information about the education inspection in your country. My main titles are: the structure of the inspection system, how the inspectors are selected and educated, the inspection of schools and the inspection of teachers and directors.

Answer

A general overview of the German education system in English can be found at the The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany: http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html

The institutions responsible for evaluation and school inspection in the federal states of Germany can be found via this website: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4437 Each Land has its own inspection policy so it is not possible to give general information about the evaluation process. I am afraid that most of the websites and information will be in German. You best contact the institutes directly.

Information about evaluation in Europe can also be found at Eurydice: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice

Special school on upper secondary level for ADHD

Question

We are looking for a upper secondary school in the Frankfurt area specialised in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Answer

I would like to recommend Mrs. Cordula Neuhaus to you. She is one of our German experts for ADHS and school. She published several books.

Her Adress: http://web2.cylex.de/firma-home/dipl--psych--dipl--heilpaed--cordula-neuhaus-5142279.html

Hier you can find some interviews with her: http://www.ads-adhsfundgrube.de/index.php?siteToLoad=2_4_komorbiditaeten

Maybe she will be the right person, to discuss and point out a school for the son of your client. I am afraid, it would be a residential/boarding school, unfortunately not in the Frankfurt area. Within my research I found the following schools with concepts for children with special education needs.

http://www.internat-fredeburg.de/pressespiegel.php http://www.heinrich-corsten-schule.de/ http://www.privates-gymnasium.de/ http://www.hebo-schule.de/

Goals for art education at secondary school

Question

I'm a student in my last year of education for becoming a teacher in the secundary school. With my specialty in art... Now i have the question for you, do you have the end terms for "art" in germany? End terms= the goals you have to reach at the end of the year. Do you understand my question?

Answer

The secondary school system in Germany consists of a lower secondary level (compulsory full time school for 10 to 15 year old students) and an upper secondary level, where at least part time school attendance is compulsory. Different secondary school system institutions are geared to the attainment of divers certificates of qualification, but the institutions are open in principle so that it is possible to transfer from one institution to another. Further, the qualifications can also be obtained in adult education institutions (evening classes).

The following diagram illustrates the structure of the German school system: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Deutsches_Bildungssystem-quer.svg&filetimestamp=20090715161308

Please find further information regarding the secondary sector on the following pages of our Eduserver:

The German Education system http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505

The web page of the Standing Conference of Ministries for Cultural Affairs (KMK) provides general information about the education system in the Federal Republic of Germany in English:

http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html

As education is under the responsibility of the federal states (Bundesländer), each of them has its own school laws. The objectives defined by the school laws are put into action by the curricula or the plans of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the federal state in question.

On the web page of the Eduserver http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=400 you will find some links to the state curricula and to the The data base of curricula http://db.kmk.org/lehrplan/ provided by the Standing Conference of Ministries for Cultural Affairs (KMK, Kultusministerkonferenz): This database allows you to search by state, type of school and school grade, subject categories, and school years. In each case, the source of the curriculum is named.

Unfortunately the database is only in German; if you enter the search term “Kunst” into the search box “Fach/Sachgebiet” and the term “Sekundarstufe” into the search box “Schulart/Schulstufe” the database will output the curricula of all 16 federal states. Of course you can confine your search by entering further terms into the other search boxes or by selecting items from the drop-down menu.

The Eurydice Network provides information on an analyses of European education systems and policies; withing their comprehensive scope of information you will find a database with information on the education systems in Europe http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/eurybase_en.php as well as thematic studies. Their latest publication deals with art education at school in Europe; you can download it for free following the link below:

Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/thematic_studies_en.php

Perhaps it will be helpful to contact the professional association of art teachers (Bund Deutscher Kunsterzieher): http://www.bunddeutscherkunsterzieher.de/xmentor/pub/ as well as to access the web page http://www.kunstunterricht.de/ which provides especially practical information about art education for educators.

Home schooling / distance education for pupils in Germany

Question 1

I am a US citizen contemplating a 2-3 year business assignment in Germany. My wife has been home schooling our kids and has several credentials. If I take this assignment with my employer, would could be done to allow me to home school? Who can I speak to about this?

Answer 1

In Germany all children have to attend a school, home schooling is illegal. There are of course parents who would like to home school and even do so, but they have to face fines or even imprisonment. There might be some exceptions to this rule, but you will have to discuss this with the responsible education authority (Schulamt) in the area where you live in Germany. A link list of education authorities in the federal states can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4624

As you do not intend to stay permanently in Germany and probably prefer to stick to the American school system it might be possible to continue home schooling with an American organisation in Germany. I advise you to consult the American and German embassies in this matter: http://germany.usembassy.gov/acs/service.html Addresses of the German embassy and consulates in the States: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Laenderinformationen/01-Laender/DeutscheAVen/VereinigteStaatenvonAmerika/DeutscheVertretungen.html

Another option would be an international/American school:

Office of Overseas Schools http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/

Association of German International Schools (AGIS) http://www.agis-schools.org/

Question 2

Just for clarification...I probably should not use the term Home School. We actually have our kids enrolled in an official school, but they are on line with the school through video streaming. The school they are enrolled in is a fully functional official and accredited institution.

Answer 2

there is distance education for school children in Germany. The following website gives information about the three insitutions that offer this form of teaching: http://www.fernschulstrasse.de/

They are meant for children abroad who do not have access to a German or international school or for children who cannot visit a local school in Germany for various reasons. The three institutes are accredited and supported by the ministry of family and youth and the federal foreign office.

Question 3

Are any of these schools educating in English? What are the names of these three instructions?

Answer 3

the addresses of the schools can be found here: http://www.fernschulstrasse.de/NewFiles/schulen.html I doubt that they offer instruction in English but you better ask the schools directly.

The "Deutsche Fernschule" is for elementary education (age 5 - 10/11). http://www.deutsche-fernschule.de/ E-Mail: info@deutsche-fernschule.de

The "Institut für Lernsysteme" offers courses for year 1-10 (age 6 - 16), preparations for secondary school leaving exams at age 15 (called Hauptschulabschluss) and 16 (called Realschulabschluss or Mittlere Reife), and preparation for a course that leads to upper secondary school leaving exams at age 18/19 (called Abitur or Allgemeine Hochschulreife) that gives access to university. http://www.ils.de/deutscher_schulunterricht_an_jedem_ort_der_welt2.php?kursfuid=d9b24c47015ebb871d74c5d41837fddf E-Mail: Kursinfo@ils.de

The "Flex-Fernschule" offers preparation for secondary school leaving exams at age 15 and 16. http://www.flex-fernschule.de/ E- Mail: info@flex-fernschule.de

For more information about the German education system in English see the following pages:

The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany (PDF-files) http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html You can access an official document from this website, published by the Standing Conference of Ministers of Cultural Affairs in the Lander States in the Federal Republic of Germany. The chapters can either be downloaded individually, or you can access the complete file.

A diagram "Basic Structure of the Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany" can be downloaded here: http://www.kmk.org/information-in-english/the-education-system-in-the-federal-republic-of-germany.html

Glossary on the educational System in the Federal Republic of Germany http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossar.html?sp=1 English descriptions of German terms.

Montessori course in English

Question

i would like to know that In Frankfurt anywhere do you institution who offer Montessori training courses for teachers but medium of instruction is English because now here in Frankfurt many bilingual or English medium school opened

Answer

I do not know whether there is an English medium Montessori course in the Frankfurt area. We have some information on Continuing and further education on special pedagogical approaches (Reggio, Montessori,...): http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=3058

For advice you can also contact:

The German Montessori Society: http://www.deutsche-montessori-gesellschaft.de/

Regional Montessori Association in Hessen: http://www.montessori-hessen.de/

Montessori Umbrella Association for Germany: http://www.montessori-deutschland.de/startseite.html

German Montessori Association http://www.montessori-vereinigung.de/index.html

Maybe the Taunus International Montessori School can name a specific course: http://www.tims-frankfurt.com/index.html

General information on adult education in Hessen: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=3489 (including course databases)

General information on Continuing and further education for youth and childcare workers http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=2451

General course databases: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=204

Educational attainment of migrants in Germany

Question

I am recently researching the OECD 2006 Results for my dissertation. My main concentration is the lower educational attainment of second generation immigrants in Denmark and Germany (than the 1st generation immigrants; and the natives). I am looking for data which have information about the 1st generation and 2nd generation immigrants` educational attainments, socio-economic background, country of origin; western vs. non-western would do, if they immigrated to Germany through guest-worker status- if this information is available- and their labour market profiles: the main sectors they work in, or the unemployment rates among the immigrant population.

Answer

General resources on education statistics can be found on page http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=26 Data should be available from the statistical offices and from the basic and structural data (Grund- und Strukturdaten) of the federal ministry of education: http://gus.his.de/

The page "Education and migration" assembles all the information available on our server concerning the topic migration: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4392

Of special interest might be:

The 1. National Education Report for Germany that focuses on migration: http://www.bildungsbericht.de/zeigen.html?seite=6129

PISA 2003: The situation of immigrant children http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4271

Report on the situation of foreigners in Germany (by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration) http://www.bundesregierung.de/nn_56708/Content/DE/Publikation/IB/7-auslaenderbericht.html (includes information on education and labour market) Further reports can be found on the same website in the sector "Publikationen". http://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Bundesregierung/BeauftragtefuerIntegration/Publikationen/publikationen.html

Some reports can also be found on our page "Migration and school": http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=3494

An outdated documentation on foreign pupils and school leavers is offered by the Standing conference of the ministers of education (Kultusministerkonferenz): http://www.kmk.org/statistik/schule/statistische-veroeffentlichungen/auslaendische-schueler-und-schulabsolventen.html

To search for literature (mostly in German) you can use the FIS Bildung Literaturdatenbank (German Education Index): http://www.fachportal-paedagogik.de/fis_bildung/fis_form_e.html German index terms could be: Bildungsbeteiligung (education participation), Migra* (truncation to find migrant, migration etc.), Auslaender or Auslaen* (to find foreigner, foreign child etc.), *statist* (to find any word containing statistics, statistical etc.), Arbeitsmarkt (labour market). A search help can be found here: http://www.fachportal-paedagogik.de/fis_bildung/fis_hilfe_e.html

Some of the documents are available online but most of the books and articles are only available from libraries and book shops.

Teacher education staff for techical education and education for sustainability

Question

Would it be possible for you to provide me with the contact details of staff in teacher education colleges/universities who are involved in curriculum policy and development for second level technology education (teacher education), and curriculum policy and development for second level education for sustainability, as i would like to request their participation in an interview for my study.

Answer

School policy and teacher education is the responsibility of the individual states in Germany, it is not centrally organised. Unfortunately we cannot provide any direct contact but the following resources might be helpful in finding the right people: To get into contact with people involved in curriculum development, curriculum policy and teacher education you best contact the Landesinstitute (state institutes) of the federal states. Their websites can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=600

Information on teacher training institutions (post-graduate education) can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=632

Some general information on education for sustainable development can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=785

School exchange for handicapped child

Question

I am looking for a German school where my handicapped daughter might be able to organise an exchange visit. Her school has an exchange program with a German school in Würzburg. However the response from the German school is that they are not sure how they could accommodate her as they think that she would need additional support (In England she has a learning support assistant to help with mobility), furthermore they say that many of the German students live quite along way from the school and she may not be able to access public transport (In England she has home to school transport arranged by a local taxi company through the local education authority) I wonder if you could help me on this matter or pass me on to an organisation which could?

Answer

We have some information on school exchange on the following pages: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=464 Maybe some of the organisations have experience with the exchange of disabled children and can advise you.

You can also try and contact the school authorities of the Laender: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4624

Information on school administration in Würzburg can be found here: http://www.wuerzburg.de/de/kultur-bildung/schulverwaltung/index.html Here you can find several links to contact addresses: Fachbereich Schule der Stadt Würzburg (school department of the city of Würzburg) Staatliches Schulamt (local education authority) Staatliche Schulberatungsstelle (school counselling)

The ministry of education for Bavaria offers information on special needs education in Bavaria: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/schule/schularten/allgemein/foerderschule/ At the lower part of section A are some links on integration at schools (Integration an der allgemeinen Schule). You can discuss these possibilities with the respective education authority.

One is about "Mobile Sonderpädagogische Dienste (MSD)" (mobile special needs services) that can be ordered by the school. http://www.km.bayern.de/km/schule/schularten/allgemein/foerderschule/msd/

There are also "Kooperationsklassen" (cooperating classes) where children from special schools and general schools are taught together: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/schule/schularten/allgemein/foerderschule/kooperationsklassen/ At the bottom are pdf-files with maps on where these classes exist. However,it is restricted to primary school and secondary schools of the lowest level. (If you are not familiar with the German school system you can find some general resources here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=505 ) Education in Bavaria: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/education/

There is also some information about European exchange within the Comenius programme of the EU with contact addresses: http://www.km.bayern.de/km/aufgaben/bund_europa/europa/comenius/index.shtml more information on EU-education programmes in Bavaria: http://www.eu-bildungsprogramme.info/

Network science education Europe

Question

SEEP is a network for teachers of science, trainers of future science teachers, policy makers and publishers in science education. Our aim is to work and learn together for the benefit of the youth - to make science education more attractive, to find innovative ways of teaching science, to share good examples of practice and to promote the exchange of ideas and teaching materials among the science teachers across Europe. It would be great if you were to forward this email to colleagues, organisations, faculties of education and secondary schools involved in science education or if you were to give us a list with contact details, so we could directly approach the institutions and schools.

Answer

Further contact information:

The Paedagogische Austauschdienst (PAD) (pedagogic exchange service) http://www.kmk-pad.org/ offers some links for partner search: http://www.kmk-pad.org/service/partnersuche.html

Partnerschulnetz: http://www.partnerschulnetz.de/index.php?id=561&L=1 and http://www.pasch-net.de/udi/enindex.htm

Information on eTwinning: http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm

The Schulweb (school web) also offers contact opportunities for schools, see "Communication": http://www.schulweb.de/en/deutschland/index.html?anzeige=m

There is a research institute in Germany specialised on science education: IPN - Leibniz-Institut für die Pädagogik der Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik http://www.ipn.uni-kiel.de/index_eng.html

Teacher organisation for science eduation: Deutscher Verein zur Förderung des mathematischen und naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichts http://www.mnu.de/

German network of schools specialised in mathematics and science education: http://www.mint-ec.de/

Education servers of the states in Germany http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450

Pen friends from Germany for English school

Question

I teach German in a new secondary school in England, and I would like my year 7 (11 year olds) to be able to write to a students of the same age in a school in Germany. Would you be able to help me arrange this with a German school?

Answer

We cannot arrange contacts to German schools but the following websites provide information about school partnerships:

Partnerschulnetz: http://www.partnerschulnetz.de/index.php?id=561&L=1 and http://www.pasch-net.de

Exchange between Britain and Germany:

British Council http://www.britishcouncil.de/

UK-German Connection http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/microsites/?location_id=5

Schulweb http://www.schulweb.de/en/deutschland/index.html To get into contact with schools see the section "Communication" on the left navigation bar.

eTwinning Europe: http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm

Global Gateway http://www.globalgateway.org.uk/

Adresses of schools and kindergartens

Question

We are trying to obtain a complete list of educational institutions and addresses from Kindergarten thru grade 12, including vocational schools in your country. Is such a list available? Is there a fee to obtain this list? Would the list be available via region as listed on your website. If available, could the list indicate the type of institution, i.e. primary, secondary, vocational, etc.? Lastly would your list include public (state) and private institutions.

Answer

Unfortunately we do not have such a list. Our server links to information on education in Germany on the internet. We only offer a link list of school databases in Germany: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=276 The "Regional school databases" further down the list are the offical directories of the federal states.

You could ask the respective ministries for education whether they can provide you with a list of schools: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

To search for kindergartens and child care institutions you can find resources on the following webseite: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1879 As these institutions are usually in the responsibility of municipalities or private providers I am not sure if there are central lists for the respective states available. But you can contact the responsible ministries or youth welfare offices: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=1971

School holidays in Germany

Question

Where on the Internet I can find up to date (latest) info about when in whole Germany (state by state) starts school, when is winter and spring breaks and when school ends?

Answer

You can find an overview of school holidays in Germany at the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany": http://www.kmk.org/ferienkalender.html The tables show all dates for all states by school year. There are separate tables for the summer holidays (Sommerferien) and a link to public holidays in Germany (gesetzliche Feiertage). Please mind that the information is only available in German.

Placement for teaching in Germany

Question

We are trying to find a school in Germany who would accept university students from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education combined degree program) to volunteer teach.

Answer

Since we are not a school or education authority – we supply information, particularly web resources -, we would like to suggest you visit the following websites where you might find useful information and support:

· The Cultural Affairs Ministries in Germany (body responsible for school education) run a Pedagogical Exchange Service, Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD):

· http://www.kmk-pad.org/en/the-pad.html - http://www.kmk-pad.org/en/the-pad.html

You will be able to find a contact address for students from Canada there – but seeing you are on a BA course, you might not be eligible for the teacher exchange programmes..

You might also find it helpful to look at the following site

Pasch-net (Schools partnerships)

http://www.pasch-net.de/

and

Partnerschulnetz

http://www.partnerschulnetz.de/

You can also check the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation (CEEF) http://www.ceef.ca/ for programmes for students and educators.

You might know the following address::

http://education.alberta.ca/students/internationaleducation.aspx

- Lists information on school partnerships:

http://education.alberta.ca/students/internationaleducation/schooltwinnings.aspx

and exchange programmes:

http://education.alberta.ca/students/internationaleducation/exchangeprograms.aspx

The German Mission might also be able to assist you in your search for a placement::

http://www.ottawa.diplo.de/Vertretung/ottawa/en/06/education/__Education__Seite.html

A further idea would be to check whether your home town or place of residence offers twinning programmes (e.g. with a town or community in Germany).

Similar to Canada, we have a federal education system, that is 12 different states are in charge. You can find respective contacting information on the Education Server platform,

http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

The following site lists Canadian-German associations::

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/germany-allemagne/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/institutions.aspx?lang=deu&view=d

Since schools in Germany are generally part-time and nowadays offer many extracurricular activities in the afternoon, e.g. music, I believe they would be happy to welcome students doing a study course in Music&Education, so I would encourage you to keep trying!

German-Portuguese school

Question

I would like to ask for help to list all the German-Portuguese primary schools in Germany.

Answer

Unfortunately I cannot provide you with a complete list of German-Portuguese schools, but I have found some examples on the internet (please note that most of the information is only available in German):

In Hamburg:

Rudolf-Roß-Grundschule http://www.rudolf-ross-grundschule.de/ You can download a German-Portuguese brochure about the school from this page: http://epub.sub.uni-hamburg.de/epub/volltexte/2009/3216/

Hamburg also offers an advisory service for pupils from abroad: http://www.hamburg.de/nofl/66986/schullaufbahnberatung.html Mail: SchulInformationsZentrum@bsb.hamburg.de

In Berlin:

Grundschule Neues Tor http://www.neues-tor.de/kontakte.html The website of the school is currently out of service but the contact address is available.

Information service of the Berlin education administration: http://www.berlin.de/sen/bwf/service/infopunkt/ Mail: infopunkt@senbwf.berlin.de

Websites that offer lists of bilingual schools in Germany (no guarantee for completeness):

Webportal on bilingual education: http://lakk.bildung.hessen.de/netzwerk/faecher/bilingual/schulverweise/index.html

Association for multilingual education: http://www.fmks-online.de/adressen.html

You can try to search for primary schools (Grundschule) that offer Portuguese language teaching via the different school databases: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=276 (see section on regional school databases) But not all databases allow queries for specific language profiles.

As soon as you know in which of the federal states you are going to live you should contact the respective ministry of education to ask for advice: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580 All federal states have concepts to help migrant children to integrate into German schools and learn the German language.

Educational material on Holocaust education in English

Question

I'm currently working on a year-long research project comparing the approaches Germany and the United States take to teaching students about the Holocaust. I'm having difficulty finding relevant information on German educational objectives and curricula on the Holocaust that has been translated into English. I'm wondering if there is a resource to which you can direct me?

Answer

while in Germany, there are strong efforts to teach children (particularly those in general secondary education) on the Holocaust and the issue plays a key role in fostering political litracy, respective curricula have not been translated into English One problem here is that Germany has a federal education system and responsibility for teaching at the respective school levels lies with the federal states. Moreover, there is no one particular school subject that deals with the Holocaust, but rather, it spans a broad range of subjects taught (e.g. history, social sciences, German).

There is a central body, i.e. the Standing Conference of Ministers of Cultural Affairs, KMK. At this level, the states have reached a number of agreements on Holocaust education.

If you are looking for an English language source, I can, however, first of all only suggest the KMK publication on the education system in Germany, accessible for free download at:

http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html

The document will give you an idea of educational policy and legislation in Germany, objectives and content of teaching.

For a more specific reference regarding Holocaust education in Germany, I would suggest the report for Germany presented to the International Task Force for Cooperation in Holocaust Education, see

http://www.holocausttaskforce.org/education/holocaust-education-reports/germany-holocaust-education-report.html.

This international network, established in 1998, aims to coordinate and exchange research and education approaches in the field. KMK (see above) and the Federal Foreign Office have contributed to the Task Force for Germany.

The website, http://www.holocausttaskforce.org/education/holocaust-education-reports/germany-holocaust-education-report.html, also provides a contact address that might help.

For a brief comparison of Holocaust education in Germany and the US, you might find the following information helpful (but please note the date): http://www.chgs.umn.edu/educational/germanEducation.html#continuingRelevance

For an interview that gives you an idea of how the mandatory subject of “Holocaust education” is integrated into curricular activities, see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/germans/germans/education.html

Economic education in Germany

Question

It would be very important for me if you could help me gather some information about the list of the courses and especially for economics & social-economics, the title of the courses and the hours that each of them is taught per week.

Moreover, I need some details about the syllabus of the economic & social-economic courses- the outline and the contents of each course, the guidelines that are given to the teachers for the activities that could be done and the general educational aims.

Answer

Responsibility for school education lies with the federal states in Germany. Therefore, there exist 16 different concepts for economic education. Please note that detailed information about the German education system is for the most part only available in German.

You can find links to the curricula of the states on the following page: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=400

German terms for economic education can be: Wirtschaft, Wirtschaftliche Bildung, Oekonomische Bildung. In some cases it is an independent subject at school, very often it is part of another social science subject or appears in combination with another social science subject. The German terms for the most common social science subjects in this context are: Sozialkunde, Gemeinschaftkunde, Politik, Geographie/ Erdkunde.

There exists a document from 2008 that gives an extensive overview of economic education at German schools in the federal states (unfortunately only in German):

Wirtschaftliche Bildung an allgemein bildenden Schulen http://www.kmk.org/bildung-schule/allgemeine-bildung/faecher-und-unterrichtsinhalte/weitere-unterrichtsinhalte/wirtschaftliche-bildung.html Direct link to the pdf-file: http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/veroeffentlichungen_beschluesse/2001/2001_10_19_Wirtschaftl_Bildung.pdf The document was published by the Kultusministerkonferenz (The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany).

For further questions you can contact the following institutions:

Kultusministerien (ministries of education): http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

Landesbildungsserver (education server of the federal states) http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=450

IT-equipment and use of e-learning at German schools

Question

I need more information and statistics on ICT in education and LMS systems. I am currently doing some research for us on the use of ICT and LMS systems in Germany. We are trying to understand the use of ICT in education in various countries across Europe, and are talking to people involved in education to try and understand how schools are using e-learning and LMS systems. We are hoping to gain an understanding of how well established e-learning is in each country.

Answer

There is a statistical publication by The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany / Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK) from 2008: IT-equipment at schools http://www.kmk.org/statistik/schule/statistische-veroeffentlichungen/it-ausstattung-der-schulen.html

The latest study of the Federal Ministry of Education was published in 2006: IT-Ausstattung der allgemein bildenden und berufsbildenden Schulen in Deutschland. Bestandsaufnahme 2006 und Entwicklung 2002 bis 2006. http://www.bildungsserver.de/db/mlesen.html?Id=36521

More up to date statistics might be obtained from the individual states:

School statistics of the federal states http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=556 The links lead either to the regional statistical offices or ministries of education.

A working paper on e-learning at school by a commission of representatives of educational media, TV and radio and the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education was published in 2010 and is available as full text: E-Learning in der Schule. Arbeitspapier der Gemischten Kommission Schulfunk/Schulfernsehen/KMK/ARD/ZDF/Dradio http://www.pedocs.de/frontdoor.php?source_opus=3567

Data for Europe can be found at Eurydice: Key Data on Learning and Innovation through ICT at school in Europe (2011) http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/key_data_en.php

General information on our server on e-learning and LMS at school:

E-Learning at school http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4746

E-learning in continuing teacher training http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=2152

In our literature database FIS Bildung (German Education Index) you can find numerous publications on the topic (partly with full text access): http://www.fachportal-paedagogik.de/fis_bildung/fis_form.html Try for example the following combination of search terms: (Schlagwörter: E-LEARNING oder LERNPLATTFORM) und (Schlagwörter: SCHULE)

I would recommend to consult the regional education servers as well, as they are closer to school practice and policy in the respective state and often directly involved in ICT and e-learning activities: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Landesbildungsserver-450.html

Vocational schools in tourism and hospitality

Question

we would like to ask you for cooperation in searching for the database of suitable vocational schools in your country (in your region) oriented to the hotel management, tourism and hospitality.

Answer

You can find on our server links to school databases in Germany: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=523 The German term for vocational schools is: Berufsschule or Berufsbildende Schule.

As the school system lies in the responsibility of the 16 states of Germany there is no central list of schools available. Not all school databases allow a search for specific schools by subject, therefore it might be necessary to contact the ministries of education: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

Sometimes the professional associations provide lists of schools. Here are the contact addresses of German associations for hotel, tourism and hospitality:

DEHOGA - German association of hotels and restaurants: http://www.dehoga-bundesverband.de/

Association of the German tourism industry: http://www.btw.de/

German Travel Association (DRV): http://www.drv.de/

German tourism association: They have a page of vocational schools: http://www.deutschertourismusverband.de/themen/ausbildung-im-tourismus/ausbildung-kaufmann-frau-fuer-tourismus-und-freizeit/fuer-potenzielle-auszubildende/berufsschulen.html

Federal association of chain restaurants: You can find a small list of schools in the left navigation bar under the heading "Berufsschulen" http://www.bundesverband-systemgastronomie.de/berufsschulen.html

Schools teaching in English in Munich

Question

We would like to move to Germany from Vancouver, Canada in the very near future and we would like to enroll our kids in the German educational system. Will you please be very kind and give us relations in regards with this issue. We would like to enroll our kids in a German state-school in the area of Bayern, Munchen that has teaching materials in English.

Answer

As an introduction, there is an overview of the Bavarian educational system in English: http://www.bildungswegplaner.de/uebersicht_en.php

All the other websites are only available in German, but when you contact them someone will be able to help I suppose.

School advisory board for the Munich area: http://www.schulberatung.bayern.de/schulberatung/muenchen/index.asp

Educational advice for migrants in Munich: http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Referat-fuer-Bildung-und-Sport/Bildungsberatung/international.html

These two information points should be able to tell you whether there are schools with English teaching material. The common strategy of state schools however is to support German language acquisition of migrant children. The alternative would be an international school. Here is a list as pdf-file: http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/dms/Home/Stadtverwaltung/Referat-fuer-Bildung-und-Sport/pdfs/bildint/bildint_intschulen/Internationale%20Schulen.pdf

To search for schools you can use the following websites:

Schools in Munich: http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Referat-fuer-Bildung-und-Sport/Schule.html

School database for Bavaria: http://www.km.bayern.de/ministerium/schule-und-ausbildung/schulsuche.html

Number of primary schools and schools of lower secondary level in Germany

Question

Approximately how many primary and lower secondary schools are there throughout Germany?

Answer

The Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt) offers the following table in English: Schools of general education and vocational schools https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/EducationResearchCulture/Schools/Tables/SchoolsClassesType.html

More school statistics can be found here: https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/EducationResearchCulture/Schools/Schools.html

The Federal Ministry of Education offers a data portal where you can find an English brochure "Education and Research in Figures 2012" for download (The figures should be identical with the Federal Statistical Office.): http://www.datenportal.bmbf.de/portal/index.html

The detailed data tables for schools are only in German but the basic facts should be included in the brochure above: http://www.datenportal.bmbf.de/portal/K23.gus Relevant are the tables:

Tabelle 2.3.1 Allgemeinbildende Schulen nach Schularten und Trägerschaft (general schools by school type and maintenance / separate data for private schools included in the main figure) http://www.datenportal.bmbf.de/portal/Tabelle-2.3.1.html

Tabelle 2.3.2 Allgemeinbildende Schulen nach Schularten und Ländern (general schools by school type and federal state) http://www.datenportal.bmbf.de/portal/Tabelle-2.3.2.html

Here is some information on the terminology in the German tables:

primary school = Grundschule

school types that belong to the lower secondary level (Sekundarstufe I) :

Schulartunabhängige Orientierungsstufe, Hauptschule, Schularten mit mehreren Bildungsgängen, Realschule, Gymnasium, Integrierte Gesamtschule, Freie Waldorfschule

Competitions for arts in schools

Question

I am doing research into schemes for rating schools on how much they embrace the arts.

In the UK, there is an award called Artsmark http://www.artsmark.org.uk/ for which schools can apply, as well as an Arts Award http://www.artsaward.org.uk/ for individual students, or groups of students.

In Germany, do you have any competitions or rating schemes for arts in schools, or for school students?

I have found information on the European Competition, German National Composition Competition, Kunststudentinnen und Kunststudenten stellen aus and the Competition to Promote Young Actors, and I wonder if there are any more, relating to any kinds of artistic activity.

I am especially interested in any system that you might have for rating schools.

Answer

Arts education has received considerable interest in the school systems hiere and in 2012, it was the focal point of investigation in the national report on education (presented every two years). A summary of the report is available in English, see Report on education in Germany ()pp. 18 and following) http://www.bildungsbericht.de/daten2012/summary12.pdf . The document given above presents data from official sources (statistics) and is probably the most relevant source in general. If you are interested in competitions funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, please visit the site on "Cultural competitions", see http://www.bmbf.de/en/21802.php . Generally the 16 federal states are responsible for school education in Germany so rating systems (which I am not sure exist) would be located at state level. To find out more about the education system in Germany, please visit https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Germany:Overview You might also refer to Germany: Principles and objectives of cultural education http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/germany.php?aid=21

You might like to know that the German Education Server (Eduserver) links to many more resources, See http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=10204

School counselling in Germany

Question

I would like information about the school counseling system in Primary and Secondary Education :

- If you have counselors in schools or outside (psychologists, pedagogues or something similar to provide counseling services in schools) - If there is the tutor, mentor or teachers who are responsible for the personal, academic and professional guidance in your group of studentsof country - If teachers are responsible for the guidance of the students in addition to their teaching function. - If you have some external service center to take care of the orientation of schools and provide advice and support.

Answer

You can find basic information about the German education system in the following publication: The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html There are some paragraphs about the school counselling system and related staff in the following chapters:

Management and other education staff http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Bildungswesen_en_pdfs/management_staff.pdf

Educational support and guidance http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Bildungswesen_en_pdfs/support_and_guidance.pdf (it starts with special needs education but later there are sections on counselling and guidance)

There is also a website on school psychology that offers a map with links to councelling services in the federal states: http://www.schulpsychologie.de/ww3ee/265546.php?sid=59096660086094808037577877798290

Should these not be sufficient you can contact the ministries of education (Kultusministerien) http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html or local education authorities / school administration (Schulämter / Schulaufsicht): http://www.bildungsserver.de/Schulaemter-Schulaufsicht-4624.html Usually the local authorities provide councelling and guidance services and there are teachers at school who are responsible for guidance and advice.

School addresses of the federal states

Question

Please can you write me, where is possible to get list of schools (addresses + e-mails) in Germany (in Excel)? There is special institution which has this list in each Land?

Answer

Unfortunately we do not have such a list. We only offer a link list of school databases in Germany: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=276 The "Regional school databases" further down the list are the offical directories of the federal states.

You could ask the respective ministries for education whether they can provide you with a list of schools: http://www.bildungsserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=580

Sometimes the statistical offices offer address lists for purchase. The websites of the statistical offices can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Statistische-Aemter-in-Deutschland-318.html

Curricula and standards for science education

Question

Me and my colleagues from project Science skills are working on the basic and intersubjects science skills. We have wanted to compare european curricular documents for ISCED2 and 3, especialy part focused on biology/science subject.(skills, outcomes, biology contain, …) We have troubles to find this national curricular documents/standars on website. Can you help us and send us the link on website.

Answer

In Germany there is no unified curriculum but a curriculum for each of the Bundeslaender (federal states). You can find links to the curricula for general education schools here: http://bildungsserver.de/zeigen.html?seite=400 The curricula are only available in German. For more information, please contact the ministry of education of the Bundesland you are interested in: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html

On the website of the "Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen (IQB)" (institute for quality development in education) you can find documents on the educational standards that apply to all Bundeslaender: http://www.iqb.hu-berlin.de/bista/subject So far not for all subjects standards have been worked out. For the natural sciences biology, chemistry and physics you can find standards in the column "Sekundarstufe I, Mittlerer Abschluss" (standards for the school leaving certificate after year 10). These documents are also only in German. For more information on education standards in Germany you can contact the institute: http://www.iqb.hu-berlin.de/institut/staff

Information on science education in Europe:

The Eurydice Network offers information on education systems in Europe and comparative studies: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php There is a collection of thematic reports: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/thematic_reports_en.php Under "Thematic reports published in 2011" you can find the following publication: "Science Education in Europe: National Policies, Practices and Research" http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/thematic_reports_en.php#2011

There is also an older publication from 2006 " Science teaching in schools in Europe": http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/science-teaching-in-schools-in-europe-pbNCX106004/

Of interest might also be a journal on science education in Europe: http://www.scienceinschool.org/

Music education at primary school

Question

At the moment I'm writing my doctoral thesis about music education at Primary Education. One part of my research is related to the music teaching at Primary schools in the different European Union countries' educative systems. This is the reason why I ask for your contribution to my thesis. In order to do so, a short electronic questionnaire is addressed for you to fulfil with different questions related to this topic.

Answer

As school education lies in the responsibility of the federal states (Bundeslaender) and the situation can differ for each state, you best contact the ministries of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html

Additional information and contacts:

List of learned societies for music education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Musikalische-Bildung-Musik-5430.html Association of German music teachers (Verband Deutscher Schulmusiker): http://www.vds-musik.de/ Working group for music in schools (Arbeitskreis für Schulmusik): http://www.afs-musik.de/

Association for primary school education (Grundschulverband) http://www.grundschulverband.de/startseite/

Publications on music education (in German):

Education Report for Germany with focus on cultural education (2012) http://www.bildungsbericht.de/zeigen.html?seite=10203 short summary in English: http://www.bildungsbericht.de/daten2012/summary12.pdf

Music Education at general education schools in Germany (1998) http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/veroeffentlichungen_beschluesse/1998/1998_03_10_Bericht_Musikunterricht.pdf

Music education in Europe:

European Association for Music in Schools http://www.eas-music.org/

Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/thematic_reports_en.php see under publication year 2009

School change to Germany

Question

An Italian citizen who visits our office wants to move with his family to Germany, in particular to Nuremberg. He has two children who have respectively 16 and 7 years old. Now they attend the so called Italian school “Scuola secondaria di secondo grado” or “Scuola superiore” and “Scuola secondaria di primo grado” or “Scuola media”. So they have to finish their studies in Germany.

My questions are: Which school can they attend? Can we talk about equivalence?

Answer

The following websites offer information about education in Bavaria and give contact addresses for further advice:

Education in Bavaria http://www.km.bayern.de/education-in-bavaria.html Basic information in English about the Bavarian school system.

Other websites are only in German:

Information of the Bavarian Ministry of Education on promoting German language skills for migrants: http://www.km.bayern.de/ministerium/schule-und-ausbildung/foerderung/sprachfoerderung.html

Schools in Nuremberg: http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/schulen/schulen.html In the left navigation bar you can find detailed information on the different types of schools in the city.

The following institutions can advise you on which school to choose and on support for learning German:

Regional school advisory board for Nuremberg: http://www.schulberatung.bayern.de/schulberatung/mittelfranken/index.asp Contacts: http://www.schulberatung.bayern.de/schulberatung/mittelfranken/ansprechpartner/index.asp

Migrant parents' office in Nuremberg: http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/paedagogisches_institut/nest.html?pk_campaign=paedagogisches_institut&pk_kwd=interkulturell_nest.html They offer support in several languages. Contact address at the bottom of the page.

General information for migrants in Nurembeg: http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/portal/buerger/migration.html

Recognition of British school leaving certificates

Question

Our school is an International School in the UK which accepts a significant numbers of German students each year. We design a one-year course to satisfy their needs, that is we offer a range of GCSE subjects which satisfy the German authorities' requirements regarding Mittlere Reife equivalence.

My question is this - where can I get official German government guidance on what UK qualifications are accepted?

Answer

The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Laender in the Federal Republic of Germany has a central office for foreign education (Zentralstelle fuer auslaendisches Bildungswesen) that offers guidance on the recognition of foreign qualifications. Unfortunately, their website is only available in German: http://www.kmk.org/zab/unsere-aufgaben.html but I am sure they will help you in English: http://www.kmk.org/zab/kontakt.html

They also offer a database that informs about foreign qualifications and their equivalence (also only in German): http://anabin.kmk.org/ Here you can find information on school leaving certificates that give access to higher education (Schulabschluesse mit Hochschulzugang) and under which conditions these are recognised in Germany: http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/schulabschluesse-mit-hochschulzugang.htm In the section "Suchen" (search) you can choose the country and get a list of certificates that have been evaluated.

You can also search for government agencies all over Germany that are responsible for the recognition of qualifications in the respective Land: http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/anerkennungs-und-beratungsstellen-in-deutschland.html In the section "Suchen nach anderen Stellen" (search for other agencies) you can choose the responsibility (Alle Zustaendigkeiten). There is a check box for "Zeugnisanerkennung - Hauptschulabschluss/ Mittlerer Schulabschluss" (Mittlere Reife) and one for "Zeugnisanerkennung - Hochschulzugang für deutsche Staatsangehörige mit ausländischen Bildungsnachweisen" (access to higher education for Germans with foreign qualifications). Click on the purple button "Zustaendigkeitsauswahl bestaetigen" (confirm selction) and a list of institutions is generated. When you click on the plus button on the left of each entry a window with the address opens.

Continuation of school education in Germany

Question

I'm interested on where I can find information about how to continue education which was started in Poland (the person which want to continue it is now 17 years old). In Poland there is elementary education from 1 to 6 class, then there is gymnasium from 1 to 3 class and other over-gymnasium schools like liceum and technikum (3 to 4 years, it's something like high school in USA). My question regards what to do when a student who is after polish gymnasium and is for now in 1st class of technikum (on computer science profile class) and want to move with his family to Germany? How he can continue his education? Is it true that he will be classified as a hauptschule graduate with possibility to be in realschule or he will be classified as a Hauptschulabschluss graduate without possibility to go to college/university? Or will he be in realschule with possibility to get additional classes and earn right to get in the end to university? Which procedures must be met to achive that goal and what type of schools can recruit him in such situation? What is the correct procedure which must be met to start such transfer (which documents must be translated and provided and where exactly?). Please respond to these questions or forward that email to someone who can or at least point me to right direction where I can get some actual anwsers over that subject. I was refered to you by Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany which send me an email reply to above questions that you should be able to anwser them.

Answer

You can find basic information about the German education system in the following publication: The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany: http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html From page 128 onwards you can find detailed information on the organisation of General Upper Secondary Education (chapter 6.5) and Vocational Upper Secondary Education (chapter 6.8). Some vocational courses lead to higher education entrance qualifications.

Glossary on the educational system of the Federal Republic of Germany with definitions in English: http://www.bildungsserver.de/glossar.html?sp=1

Education lies in the responsibility of the Laender. Therefore, you first need to know to which region or town in Germany the family wants to move. The education systems of the Laender are quite similar but there are also some differences regarding school forms. The family should then contact the local education authority to get advice on how to proceed. Websites leading to the regional and local education authorities can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Schulaemter-Schulaufsicht-4624.html Ministries of Education of the Laender: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html

Much will depend on German language skills. The education authorities can tell you what kind of support is available. Usually, each city has an adivsory office for migrants where you can get additional help.

Information on the recognition of school education can be found here: http://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/recognition_of_school_qualifications.php There is also a Polish version: http://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/pl/uznawanie_kwalifikacji_szkolnictwie_ogolnokszlacacym.php Maybe the leaving certificate of the Polish gymnasium can be considered equivalent to a German school leaving certificate of the lower secondary level.

English language schools in Germany

Question

My grand son is currently residing in Dubai,UAE and studying in 10th Class of a UAE school.

currently we are thinking to transfer him or send him for Secondary school education (later on college education) to a German Secondary school which gives education in english language.

Please let me know about the possibilities, suggestions etc in this matter.

Answer

The language of instruction at German schools is German. Some schools offer bilingual teaching, but this serves the promotion of foreign language skills and is usually restricted to certain subjects. The only option for an English language school would be an international school. To search for international schools in Germany you can use the following websites:

Association of German International Schools http://www.agis-schools.org/schools/list

European Council of International Schools http://www.ecis.org/page.cfm?p=285

Council of International Schools https://www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=1318

Council of British International Schools http://www.cobis.org.uk/page.cfm?p=443

List of schools in Europe by the US Department of State http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/c1699.htm

You can find basic information about the German education system in the following publication: The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany: http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch/publikation-zum-download.html

Education lies in the responsibility of the Laender. Therefore, you first need to know to which region or town in Germany your grandson wants to move. You should then contact the local education authority to get advice on how to proceed. Websites leading to the regional and local education authorities can be found here: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Schulaemter-Schulaufsicht-4624.html Ministries of Education of the Laender: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html

For questions regarding immigration und residence permit please consult the German embassy in Dubai: http://www.dubai.diplo.de/

Curricula and school books for mathematics

Question

I read your webpage on the curriculum in Germany and I have some questions that I hope you might be able to answer when it comes to mathematics:

1. Is their any website that outlines the German syllabus in english? 2. What is the most used book in terms of math education in Germany? 3. Can any mathbook get approval from the state or is there alot of red tape involved?

Answer

In Germany there is no unified curriculum but a curriculum for each of the Bundeslaender (federal states). You can find links to the curricula for general education schools here: http://bildungsserver.de/zeigen.html?seite=400 As far as I know the curricula are only available in German. For more information please contact the respective ministry of education of the Bundesland you are interested in: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580.html

On the website of the "Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen (IQB)" (institute for quality development in education) you can find documents on the educational standards that apply to all Bundeslaender: https://www.iqb.hu-berlin.de/bista/subject

As with the curricula there is a wide variety of school books available. Each Bundesland publishes a list of approved school books and learning materials from which the schools choose the ones they want to use: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Zugelassene-Lernmittel-und-Schulbuecher-522.html For information on criteria for approval and statistics of the use of books you should also contact the ministries.

Maybe the association of educational publishers (Verband Bildungsmedien) has a statistic of the most used school books: http://www.bildungsmedien.de/

There are two institutes for textbook research that might be of interest as well:

Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research http://www.gei.de/en/home.html International Society for the Historical and Systematic Research on Textbooks and Educational Media e.V. http://www.philso.uni-augsburg.de/en/lehrstuehle/paedagogik/igschub/news/

Mathematics curricula in Colombia and Japan

Question

Search for mathematics curricula for Colombia and Japan.

Answer

here some additional websites that I found for Colombia and Japan that might be helpful, but you will have to go into the details, which I had not the time for. For Colombia, certainly it would be necessary to look for Spanish resources. I found a blog by a Mathematics Professor about Mathematics curriculum in Colombia. He also links to two publications by the ministry and other important institutions that might be contacted.

For Japan, some interesting publications too, although maybe not up to date. But maybe the respective authors could be contacted for more information.

The link for the USA just crossed my path “accidentally”, maybe you already know it.

P.S.: For my country dossiers, amongst them Finland, you can have a look at http://www.education-worldwide.de/Dossiers-6685_e.html?&seite=6685 A small series started about educational research in different countries can be found here: http://www.education-worldwide.de/Educational-Research-Countries-Dossiers--6996_e.html?&seite=6996

Colombia John Jairo Múnera Córdoba Correos: jjmunera@gmail.com jjmunera@une.net.co Twitter: @jjmunera Profesor de matemáticas

El currículo de las matemáticas escolares desde el enfoque de situaciones problema http://curriculomatematicas.blogspot.de/

Estándares básicos de Competencias en matemáticas http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/cvn/1665/articles-116042_archivo_pdf2.pdf propuesta para las matemáticas escolares publicada por el Ministerio de Educación Nacional en 1998, denominada Lineamientos Curriculares Matemáticas http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1621/articles-89869_archivo_pdf9.pdf Centro de Investigación y Formación en Ed. Matemática http://www.cimm.ucr.ac.cr/ojs/index.php/eudoxus/index Revista: Avances de Investigación en Educación Matemática http://www.aiem.es/index.php/aiem Comité Interamericano de Ed. Matemática http://www.cimm.ucr.ac.cr/ciaem/

Japan Mathematics Curriculum in Pacific Rim Countries--China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore: Proceedings of a Conference (2008) Chapter: Education Ministry Perspectives on Mathematics Curriculum in Japan https://books.google.de/books?id=qT7mQp-271kC&lpg=PA9&ots=-SvoAFqI7P&dq=japan%20curriculum%20mathematics&hl=de&pg=PA9#v=onepage&q&f=false English Translation of the Japanese Mathematics Curricula in the Course of Study March, 2008 Grades 1-9 http://ncm.gu.se/media/kursplaner/andralander/Japanese_COS2008Math.pdf 13-15 Years ~ Lower Secondary Grade 2 and 3 Text found on the website of Göteborg University

“In grade 7, students learn about positive and negative numbers, the meaning of equations, letters as symbols, and algebraic expressions. By the end of grade 8, they are able to compute and transform algebraic expressions using letter symbols and to solve linear equalities and simultaneous equations; they have also been introduced to linear functions, simple polynomials, linear inequalities, plane geometry, and scientic notation. In grade 9, students learn how to solve quadratic equations (those with real solutions) and are taught the properties of right triangles and circles, functions, and probability. In grade 7 and beyond it is recommended that calculators and computers should be eciently used as the occasion demands [6]“ http://library.msri.org/books/Book36/files/judson.pdf Japan: A Different Model of Mathematics Education THOMAS W. JUDSON Contemporary Issues in Mathematics Education 36 (1999)

Junior High School Teaching Guide for the Japanese Course of Study: Mathematics (Grade 7-9) 2010 http://www.criced.tsukuba.ac.jp/math/apec/ICME12/Lesson_Study_set/Junior_high_school-teaching-guide-Mathmatics-EN.pdf When searching for curriculum, one may not find many text about Japan, as in Japan, it is called differently: “Japanese Course of Study (the term used for curriculum)” Source: http://mathandmultimedia.com/2014/12/21/japan-math-teaching-guide/ The Mathematical Society of Japan http://mathsoc.jp/en/ Japan Society of Mathematical Education. http://www.sme.or.jp/regacy/e_index.html Special Issues on Japanese Mathematics Education written in English - Exploring Secondary School Mathematics Education of Japan in the 21st Century Based on Practical Studies in the 1990s - Mathematics Program in Japan Elementary, Lower Secondary & Upper Secondary Schools

USA National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Publications in the category Curriculum http://www.nctm.org/store/all-books/?cp=1&tx=282 for example the series: Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics

Inclusive schools in Germany

Question

I am writing to you asking if I can have some information regarding the inclusion process in Germany, or if you know where to find such data. I would like to mention some case studies of inclusive schools in Germany, so even the names of schools that include students with special needs along side with regular students will be good for me, and I will contact or visit them, as adding such live experience will be a fruitful add to my research.

Answer

There is some information in English about inclusion in Germany on the following website: http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4523

The German version offers a wider range of information about inclusion in all areas of education: http://www.bildungsserver.de/Inklusion-10987.html

There is an annual competition for inclusive schools: http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/startseite/ The winners you can find under the heading "Preisträger": http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/preistraeger/ For each winner you will find a short portrait for download. Addresses of schools that have taken part in the competition can be found via this map: http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/jakob-muth-preis/bisherige-bewerber-karte/

There is another website with an inclusion map where you can find projects all over Germany: https://www.inklusionslandkarte.de/IKL/Startseite/Startseite_node.html The collection is not restricted to school educaton.

@@ Zeile 2.370: / Zeile 2.370: @@
 http://www.nctm.org/store/all-books/?cp=1&tx=282
 for example the series: Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics
+----
+===Inclusive schools in Germany===
+'''Question'''
+I am writing to you asking if I can have some information regarding the inclusion process in Germany, or if you know where to find such data. I would like to mention some case studies of inclusive schools in Germany, so even the names of schools that include students with special needs along side with regular students will be good for me, and I will contact or visit them, as adding such live experience will be a fruitful add to my research.
+'''Answer'''
+There is some information in English about inclusion in Germany on the following website:
+http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4523
+The German version offers a wider range of information about inclusion in all areas of education:
+http://www.bildungsserver.de/Inklusion-10987.html
+There is an annual competition for inclusive schools:
+http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/startseite/
+The winners you can find under the heading "Preisträger":
+http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/preistraeger/
+For each winner you will find a short portrait for download.
+Addresses of schools that have taken part in the competition can be found via this map:
+http://www.jakobmuthpreis.de/jakob-muth-preis/bisherige-bewerber-karte/
+There is another website with an inclusion map where you can find projects all over Germany:
+https://www.inklusionslandkarte.de/IKL/Startseite/Startseite_node.html
+The collection is not restricted to school educaton.
 ----

School education: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

Version vom 30. August 2016, 14:03 Uhr

Choice of school, school types, North Rhine-Westphalia

Regulations for English language exams of the Abitur (A-level)

Purchase of German math books

English medium / international school, near Witten

Partner school Comenius project

Starting school, primary school Schleswig-Holstein

Technical infrastructure at schools, administration and financing

Bilingual school in Bavaria

School holidays in Germany

Norms for accesssibility in school architecture

Scholarship for school exchange (Colombia)

Database of all schools in Germany

Special education in Germany, typical school day

Class size in Germany

Partner school for youth project with Moldova

Regulations for physics exams in secondary schools

School system in Bavaria

School partnership Germany - Czech Republic

Curriculum for secondary level in English

Teachers of German who teach immigrant pupils

Organisations for promoting information technology at school

Teaching in Germany

Secondary schools in Germany

Human rights education in Germany

Graduation requirements at secondary schools

Compulsory education in the secondary sector in Germany

Level of education - immigrants and their descendants

Working time of physics teachers

Cooperation in teacher education with Lithuania

Special education needs support/ special needs schools in Hesse

School leaving exam and school fees in Germany

Schools in Nordrhein-Westfalen, tips for school excursions

Foreign languages at German schools

Environmental education in Germany / school organisation

Civic education for migrant children

School inspection in Germany

Special school on upper secondary level for ADHD

Goals for art education at secondary school

Home schooling / distance education for pupils in Germany

Montessori course in English

Educational attainment of migrants in Germany

Teacher education staff for techical education and education for sustainability

School exchange for handicapped child

Network science education Europe

Pen friends from Germany for English school

Adresses of schools and kindergartens

School holidays in Germany

Placement for teaching in Germany

German-Portuguese school

Educational material on Holocaust education in English

Economic education in Germany

IT-equipment and use of e-learning at German schools

Vocational schools in tourism and hospitality

Schools teaching in English in Munich

Number of primary schools and schools of lower secondary level in Germany

Competitions for arts in schools

School counselling in Germany

School addresses of the federal states

Curricula and standards for science education

Music education at primary school

School change to Germany

Recognition of British school leaving certificates

Continuation of school education in Germany

English language schools in Germany

Curricula and school books for mathematics

Mathematics curricula in Colombia and Japan

Inclusive schools in Germany

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