German students have never performed so poorly in PISA. In all performance comparisons over the last ten years or so, the development has only shown one direction: downwards.
The loss of performance is an international phenomenon, but that is no consolation. The sobering message is that whatever educational reforms and innovations have been initiated, nothing has brought lasting improvement in performance outcomes.
After the big PISA shock in 2000, Germany managed to catch up: in 2015 it was doing much better. Obviously there was a lack of staying power. The efforts could not be sustained because there was a lack of consistency.
Education has increasingly lost its social importance. This is completely different in Asian countries. Small Estonia shows that things are very different in Europe too. There it has been possible to cultivate the joy of reading over the long term - despite digitalization being very advanced, especially in this country, but also clear rules on the use of cell phones in school with a ban on use during breaks.
In this country, far too many parents never read aloud, and students' inability to read and reluctance to read are alarmingly high. In addition, there are changing student groups with far too many children who are unable to continue their education at the end of primary school for language reasons.
They lack knowledge of German, but also social and motor skills. They can't sit still, can't hold scissors and have no support at home. It is a shocking finding that a third of 15-year-olds do not have the basic skills in either mathematics or reading.
This means that they never progressed beyond the level of the first years of primary school. Things don't look much better at the top. She has become increasingly narrow. This means that funding does not work at either the lowest or the highest end of the performance bar. It is obvious that this has to do with the quality of teaching.
But what use is it to teachers who are already busy fighting for discipline in their classrooms to constantly recommend that they improve classroom management, provide constructive support to students and teach cognitively stimulating lessons? It would take another decade until consistent teacher training and further education reached all teachers. That's too long. Digital training offerings that are pragmatic and practical would be necessary.
A decisive lever is reliable early childhood education, at the end of which there must be readiness for school entry. If parents refuse to provide language support, this must be consistently sanctioned. Given the PISA finding that no country has been more successful in adequately integrating late-arrival first-generation immigrants, language education must be given top priority. Only those who master the language confidently will be able to compensate for the differences caused by their origins.
In primary school, learning levels must be assessed regularly. Short tests that are not graded are sufficient to show the teacher and the school whether the lesson was successful or not. Hamburg has thus achieved its rise to the top group of German states. In all countries where commitment and continuity are emphasized - including Bavaria, Saxony and recently also in Baden-Württemberg - this is reflected in better performance results.
It's not about a huge mass of data collection, but rather a few meaningful ones, for example in reading and arithmetic, which would have to be collected four times a year. That's definitely better than reform actionism. It is also clear that this results in targeted support for the weakest, but also the strongest, and that more practice needs to be done on a regular basis. These are simple and effective mechanisms that every school can establish from tomorrow if the school management and staff want it. However, they need perseverance and consistency.
The starting opportunities programs, Qua-Math for math lessons and Star-S for primary schools, are already running. Whether they just devour billions or also produce better performance is currently unclear. Until then, it's all about starting small, practicing, and maintaining commitment and discipline.
