PA School Librarian in Germany: German Education System

We have arrived in Mainz! This morning, we attended two lectures at the university: "The Beginnings of a Bridge to the New World. The University of Mainz, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and French post-war policies" presented by Dr. Kissener of the History Department and "Educational Policy as a Welfare State Key Instrument. The Functional Transformation of Educational Policy in Rhineland -Palatinate," given by Dr. Mielke of the Department of Political Science. Both of these lectures gave us the background necessary to engage in conversation about the state of German education today.

American and German school systems follow very different structures.  German students attend kindergarten and then Grundschule, which is for grades 1-4. Then, with the recommendations of teachers and ultimately parents, students choose from three different tracks for their grades 5-9+ education. It is important to note that education is run by each individual state in Germany, so some information might be specific to Rhineland-Palatinate. Hauptschule offers vocation-oriented schooling and is for grades 5-9. At the end of the 9th grade, students receive their certificate of completion. This Hauptschule track does not exist in Rhineland-Palatinate, but has been incorporated into the next track and into the comprehensive school. Realschule (or Realschule Plus in RLP) is for grades 5-10, and leads to higher education in vocational schools ("German School System"). Finally, the Gymnasium is for grades 5-13 (some to grade 12) and leads to the Abitur certificate. Graduates with the Abitur continue on to Universität. German education costs nothing for students, and a Gymnasium graduate is guaranteed a spot to study at a German university. A newer school system called the Gesamtschule offers a comprehensive system where students can receive the equivalent certificate of any of the three tracks.

Just as with accelerated tracks in the American school system, it is difficult for German students of a lower socio-economic status and immigrant children to break into the Gymnasium learning track.

But German education is changing. Schools once followed a half-day schedule, and now more and more are offering full day education. There is also a push for more students of all backgrounds to work toward the Abitur. These goals are difficult to accomplish amongst the 16 German states, which govern the 16 separate school systems.

Ultimately, my colleagues and I have started to recognize that despite (or in spite of) the differences between American and German education, there seem to be similar goals and obstacles. Both countries seem to desire for their students to achieve unified standards and objectives, but with this standardization of education, individuality (of both students and teachers) is sacrificed. I hope that throughout the next few days, we can start to focus on some small moments of positive change that can be implemented throughout future education practices in both the US and Germany.

"Bildungssystem in Deutschland." Wikipedia.de. 2015. Web. 29 June 2015.

"German School System." How to Germany. 2015. Web. 29 June 2015. <http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html>.