Education monitor: Saxony and Bavaria again with top marks

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Saxony remains the front runner in the education monitor (symbol photo)

Photo: Christoph Soeder / dpa

The corona pandemic represents a turning point for the education system, the researchers at the Institute of German Economy agree.

In a current education study, the Bildungsmonitor, which appears this Wednesday, they take stock of the effects of the pandemic on teaching.

Their prognosis: homeschooling and alternating classes will inhibit school quality and increase educational poverty.

The researchers assume that there will be more dropouts because the students lacked direct contact in class.

Study details

Expand areaWho created the study?

The education monitor was created by the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) in Cologne on behalf of the Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM).

The INSM is a lobby organization and is financed by employers' associations in the metal and electrical industry.

The surveys on the corona pandemic were carried out by the opinion research institute Civey.

Expand areaWhat is compared in the education monitor?

The comparison is made in twelve fields of action.

Among other things, it is about school quality, care conditions and integration, but also about vocational training as well as universities and MINT, i.e. the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology.

The study takes an educational economics perspective.

The focus is on what contribution the education system makes to ensure prosperity, create opportunities for advancement for the individual and ensure participation.

Expand areaWho was interviewed for the survey?

For the survey on the corona pandemic, the opinion research institute Civey asked around 2,500 parents and almost 1,400 teachers.

The lack of a qualification in turn leads to problems in vocational training.

The corona crisis has reduced both the supply and demand for training positions.

However, the pandemic has little impact on the current ranking of the federal states because the official education indicators are usually collected with a two-year delay.

Since 2004, the lobby organization “Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft” (INSM) has had the education monitor created, which is intended to illuminate and compare the performance of school systems from an educational and economic perspective.

As in previous years, Saxony is at the top of the ranking, followed by Bavaria.

Saxony is praised, among other things, for the high all-day quota and the good knowledge of the students in maths and natural sciences.

In Bavaria there is little educational poverty, hardly any young people without qualifications and many apprenticeships.

Behind the two model students comes Hamburg, which has ousted Thuringia from third place.

Bremen is at the bottom.

In the previous year, Saxony-Anhalt was far behind.

The state was able to work its way up to third from last place.

The countries are evaluated according to a point system.

The range is wide: In the current evaluation, Saxony achieved the highest number of points with 66.8, Bremen the lowest with 39.6.

For this purpose, 93 different indicators are converted into points in twelve fields of action.

In addition to the performance level of pupils, a comparison is made, among other things, of how much money a country spends on education and what the numerical ratio between teachers and pupils is.

INSM Education Monitor 2021: The results of the countries

Baden-Württemberg area: expand place 6

Strengthen

• The graduates of the dual training have the highest success rate of all federal states.

  The training intensity is high.

• The dropout rate among trainees is the lowest in Germany.

• The average age of university graduates is low.

• There are many university graduates and dual students.

weaknesses

• Few young people are taught foreign languages ​​at vocational schools.

• Few kindergarten and elementary school children attend all-day institutions.

Bavaria area: expand Platz 2

Strengthen

• Only a few students do not have a school leaving certificate.

• The influence of social origin on skills is minimal.

• The expenditure per pupil in secondary schools is high.

• The teaching staff in Bavaria has a very balanced age structure.

• Bavaria makes a major contribution to the training of young scientists.

weaknesses

• Despite progress, there are still comparatively few all-day schoolchildren.

Berlin area: expand Platz 13

Strengthen

• The number of lessons is very high in Berlin.

• Many children take advantage of all-day offers in daycare centers and schools.

• In terms of economic strength, there are many researchers working in Berlin.

• Berlin has the highest proportion of foreign students among its students.

weaknesses

• The proportion of young people who are not provided for is high.

• There are too few training places.

• Many young people do not achieve the minimum standards of skills.

• The school dropout rate is relatively high.

• Average competencies in math and science are low.

Brandenburg area: Open place 15

Strengthen

• There is little connection between social origin and educational success.

• Many vocational school students are taught in foreign languages.

• A comparatively large number of students achieve the minimum standards in competence tests.

weaknesses

• Comparatively few habilitations are completed.

• Measured against the number of academics living in Brandenburg, the number of university graduates is low.

• The success rate in the final exams of the dual training is very low.

• Many primary school students start school late.

• The proportion of apprenticeship contracts terminated prematurely is high.

Braking area: Open position 16 (taillight)

Strengthen

• Measured against the resident academic population, most academics are trained in Bremen.

• The proportion of scientists in the total staff of universities is the highest in Germany.

• Bremen has a good childcare ratio in kindergartens.

weaknesses

• On average, the students achieve poor results in the competence tests.

• Foreign pupils comparatively rarely achieve the Abitur and comparatively often leave school without a qualification.

• The proportion of all-day schoolchildren among all pupils in kindergarten, elementary school and secondary level 1 is below the national average.

Hamburg area: open space 3

Strengthen

• Almost all primary school students and many vocational school students have foreign language lessons.

• Material expenses at schools and universities are relatively high.

• Almost all primary school students in Hamburg attend an all-day facility.

• Few pupils repeat a class in the lower secondary level.

• The number of training positions is high and the success rate in dual training is high.

weaknesses

• The average competency of the students in the natural sciences is comparatively low.

• Many students fail to meet the minimum standards in science, math, and reading.

Hesse area: open place 7

Strengthen

• In Hesse, the lowest proportion of foreign youths leave school without a qualification.

• At the daycare centers, the proportion of staff with an academic degree is relatively high.

• The school dropout rate is the lowest in Germany.

weaknesses

• The proportion of foreign students among the students is low.

• The average skills of the students are below the national average.

• In terms of the state's economic strength, there are comparatively few researchers working in the state.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Open place 9

Strengthen

• A relatively large number of young people from abroad attain the Abitur in general education schools.

• There are relatively many full-day places at daycare centers and in secondary level 1.

• The number of apprenticeships available and the proportion of young people not being provided for are better than the national average.

weaknesses

• A large proportion of the training contracts are terminated prematurely.

• The age structure of teachers in general and vocational schools is very unbalanced.

• In daycare centers and full-time vocational schools, the childcare ratios are unfavorable.

• The proportion of MINT staff (teachers of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology) in the academic staff at universities is low.

Lower Saxony area: expand place 8

Strengthen

• The connection between social origin and the students' competencies in mathematics is low compared to other federal states.

• The average age of university graduates is lower than the national average.

• The third-party funds acquired per university professor are above the national average.

weaknesses

• The proportion of foreign students among the students is low.

• Measured against the number of employed engineers, few of them are trained at universities.

• In the daycare centers, relatively few children attend all-day facilities.

North Rhine-Westphalia area: expand place 12

Strengthen

• Few pupils start school late.

• Fewer training contracts than the national average are terminated prematurely.

• In NRW, many elementary school students are taught foreign languages.

weaknesses

• At vocational schools and universities, few teachers supervise many vocational school students and students.

• The educational expenditure per elementary school pupil is the lowest in Germany and is around 1000 euros below the national average.

• The proportion of successful graduates among all graduates from vocational schools, technical colleges and technical schools is low.

• The proportion of successful vocational preparation graduates is low.

Rhineland-Palatinate area: expand place 10

Strengthen

• All primary school students in Rhineland-Palatinate are taught foreign languages.

• The success rate at full-time vocational schools is the highest in Germany.

• The educational expenditure per elementary school pupil is above the national average, while the total public expenditure per inhabitant is comparatively low.

weaknesses

• The third-party funds raised per professor are low and, measured against the economic strength of the state, few researchers are employed at universities.

• In the lower secondary level, only a few pupils attend an all-day facility.

• The rate of university entrance qualifications for foreigners is slightly lower than the national average, and the drop-out rate is slightly higher.

Saarland area: expand place 5

Strengthen

• The educational expenditure per elementary school student and university student is higher.

• The other total expenditures of the state per inhabitant are lower than the national average.

• Only a few children start school late.

• Measured by the size of the population, there are most dual students.

• The ratio of pupils and teachers is very good at primary schools.

• The quota of foreigners who are eligible to study is comparatively high.

weaknesses

• The third-party funds raised per professor are comparatively low.

• The school dropout rate is above the average for the federal states.

Saxony area: expand location 1

Strengthen

• Many children are looked after all day.

• Many academics work in daycare centers.

• Die Schülerinnen und Schüler erreichen Bestwerte bei Kompetenzen in Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften.

• Pro Professorin und Professor werden in Sachsen im Durchschnitt die meisten Drittmittel eingeworben.

• Viele Berufsschülerinnen und Berufsschüler lernen Fremdsprachen.

• Viele Studierende sind für das Studium aus dem Ausland zugewandert.

Schwächen

• Das Durchschnittsalter der Absolventinnen und Absolventen von Hochschulen ist vergleichsweise hoch.

• Der Zusammenhang von Herkunft und Mathematik-Kompetenzen ist eng.

• Die Betreuungsrelationen an Kitas und Grundschulen sind vergleichsweise schlecht.

BereichSachsen-Anhalt: Platz 14aufklappen

Stärken

• Je Forscherin und Forscher an Hochschulen wird viel Geld in Forschung investiert.

• Die Schüler erreichen hohe Kompetenzen in Mathematik und in Naturwissenschaften.

• In Kita und Grundschule besuchen viele Kinder Ganztagsangebote.

Schwächen

• Die Altersstruktur der Lehrkräfte ist sehr unausgewogen.

• In Kita und Hochschule ist die Betreuungsrelation ungünstig.

• Ein hoher Anteil der Ausländerinnen und Ausländer verlässt die Schule ohne Abschluss.

• Die Ausgaben je Schülerin und Schüler sind vergleichsweise niedrig.

• Der Anteil am wissenschaftlichen Personal für Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik ist relativ niedrig.

BereichSchleswig-Holstein: Platz 11aufklappen

Stärken

• Nur wenige Kinder werden verspätet eingeschult

• Nur wenige Schülerinnen und Schüler wiederholen eine Klasse.

• Die Erfolgsquote im Berufsvorbereitungsjahr ist vergleichsweise hoch.

Schwächen

• In Kitas und in der Schule besuchen wenige Kinder Ganztagseinrichtungen.

• Relativ zur akademischen Wohnbevölkerung gibt es wenige Hochschulabsolventinnen und -absolventen.

• Ein hoher Anteil ausländischer Schülerinnen und Schüler erreicht keinen Abschluss.

• Gemessen an der Wirtschaftskraft sind wenige Forscherinnen und Forscher im Land tätig.

• Die eingeworbenen Drittmittel je Professorin und Professor sind niedrig.

BereichThüringen: Platz 4aufklappen

Stärken

• Rechnerisch kommen auf eine Lehrkraft an Berufsschulen die wenigsten Schülerinnen und Schüler.

• In Kitas und Grundschulen nehmen viele Kinder Ganztagsangebote wahr.

• Nur wenige Jugendliche verbleiben ohne Ausbildungsstellenangebot.

• Die Bildungsausgaben je Schülerin und Schüler sind an den Berufsschulen vergleichsweise hoch.

• Gemessen an der Anzahl der beschäftigten Ingenieurinnen und Ingenieuren werden viele von ihnen ausgebildet

Schwächen

• Die Altersstruktur der Lehrkräfte in Thüringen ist sehr unausgewogen.

• Die Schulabbrecherquote unter Ausländerinnen und Ausländern ist die höchste in Deutschland.

Daneben geht es in einem Schwerpunktkapitel um die Auswirkungen der Coronakrise auf das Bildungssystem. Dafür wurden auch Eltern und Lehrkräfte befragt.

Bei den Eltern ging es darum, wie zufrieden sie im vergangenen Schuljahr mit den Lehrangeboten an den Schulen ihrer Kinder waren. Rund 56 Prozent waren dabei eher oder sehr unzufrieden.

Viele Lehrer berichten von gravierenden Lernrückständen

Besonders unzufrieden waren Eltern im Sachsen-­Anhalt, Mecklenburg-­Vorpommern, Thüringen, Sachsen und Brandenburg, etwas weniger unzufrieden die in Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bayern und Niedersachsen. »Die Unzufriedenheit war höher, wenn Eltern einen niedrigeren Bildungsabschluss aufweisen oder in kaufkraftschwächeren Regionen leben«, so die Autoren der Studie.

Auch die Befragung der Lehrkräfte zeichnet ein düsteres Bild. Knapp die Hälfte rechnet mit gravierenden Lernrückständen. 30 Prozent sehen das Problem »bei mehr als der Hälfte«, rund 17 Prozent sogar bei »fast allen« Schülerinnen und Schülern.

Die Forscher gehen aber nicht nur auf mögliche Auswirkungen ein, sondern schlagen auch vor, wie sich diese bekämpfen lassen.

So lauten einige der Handlungsempfehlungen:

• Die Folgen der Pandemie im Bildungssystem zeitnah empirisch aufarbeiten.

• Eine starke Förderinfrastruktur für Kinder und Jugendliche mit Förderbedarf an den Schulen und Kitas vor Ort aufbauen.

• Auf wesentliche Lerninhalte im Unterricht konzentrieren.

• Gezielt gegen Schulverweigerung vorgehen und Schulabbrüche vermeiden.

• Außerschulische Unterstützungsangebote für Kinder, Jugendliche und Familien stärken.

Einen positiven Effekt hat Corona laut den Autoren der Studie aber auch: Der Digitalisierungsprozess in den Klassenzimmern hat sich durch die Pandemie »deutlich beschleunigt«. Die Dringlichkeit des digitalen Wandels sei durch die Schulschließungen besonders deutlich geworden und es habe bereits in vielen Schulen dementsprechende Veränderungen gegeben.

Die Bildungsforscher betonen: »Auch nach einer Rückkehr zum Präsenzunterricht können digitale Unterrichtselemente dazu beitragen, die Qualität des Unterrichts zu erhöhen und entstandene Lernrückstände zu schließen.«