No child left behind

The aim of the project “The Power of Reading – Elementary Schools” are

early recognition of children with difficulties in acquiring written language
deriving individual support based on diagnostic findings
documentation of learning development for working with parents and defining an educational plan with specialists
prevention of reading and spelling difficulties

For this purpose, the MI, together with the IPN and the Institute for Quality Development in Schools in Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH) in cooperation with the Cornelsen-Publishing House, is developing a two-part work material combined in a student- and teacher-booklet for diagnosing and supporting of reading and writing skills in elementary schools. The participating teachers are prepared for the implementation of the individual milestones in regular regional training events, the derived support measures are discussed and experiences are exchanged.

Starting in the 2018/19 school year, “Lesen macht stark” launched in first grade with a training concept that complements the diagnostic material. The Mercator Institute is providing scientific advice on the development of the materials for the remedial training and is accompanying its introduction in the schools by researching the implementation conditions. It investigates the conditions under which teachers accept the training program and whether they use the material in accordance with the concept.

Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education

The Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education is an institute of the University of Cologne, initiated and funded by Stiftung Mercator. Its aim is to improve language education. To achieve this objective, it researches and develops innovative concepts, measures and tools for language education. It provides regional training for prospective teachers and national training for educators in nurseries, schools and adult education, and prepares academic findings specifically for decision-makers in educational policy, administration and practice. Through its research and the academic services it provides to language education in a multilingual society, the Mercator Institute helps create more equal opportunities in the education system.

Important work and services:

Research: The Mercator Institute for Language Support and German as a Second Language researches and develops concepts, instruments and measures for language education in a variety of projects. It conducts practical and application-oriented research on current and socially relevant issues of language education, from daycare to the transition to work. Its research covers the entire breadth and complexity of linguistic education: It focuses on the chain of effects from research to the training and continuing education of specialists and teachers, the framework conditions in the various educational institutions, implementation in educational practice, and the effects on children and young people. The research focuses on linguistic learning and development processes, classroom research, and teacher training and professionalization. The project teams use both qualitative and quantitative methods and are interdisciplinary. The institute also offers research-based services.

Development: The Mercator Institute advises educational actors on the basis of scientific findings relating to development and implementation processes, e.g. curricula or for the realization of language education concepts. In doing so, its objective is to help initiate systemic changes that will allow consistent language education standards to be maintained throughout all educational stages and institutions.

Professional Development: When it comes to staff development of educators in nursery schools, schools and adult education, the Mercator Institute cooperates with institutions at a regional and national level so as to develop and implement staff development concepts. Due to time constraints and the considerable need for continuing education, educators are increasingly calling for training courses that can be adapted to their individual schedules. This is why the Mercator Institute is also developing digital learning opportunities that combine independent learning with digital materials and face-to-face classes.

Transfer: There are many different stakeholders in language education: from the organizations that run child and youth welfare services, to nurseries and schools, and to ministries and authorities at the local and state level. Through its publications and events, the Mercator Institute promotes the transfer of good practice and scientific findings to education policymakers, education authorities and the educational institutions themselves. In addition, it is available to journalists as a point of contact for topics relating to language education. Current research into topical and socially relevant questions of language education is analysed and then made available in a variety of formats – from short basic knowledge and fact checks to detailed studies and expert reports.

Promotion of young researchers: At the Mercator Institute, there are various measures to promote young researchers. These include AcadeMI, a network of young researchers who meet in a self-coordinated manner and at regular intervals to promote peer exchange at the Mercator Institute and to support each other in their own qualification. Among other things, they organize workshops that all young researchers can profitably use for their work, and they are involved in the implementation of the annual Young Researchers Conference. Within the framework of AcadeMI, some staff members have joined together to form four internal research groups dealing with the topic of multilingualism and vocabulary. In addition, there is a mentoring program.

Research Data at the Mercator Institute:

The Research Database “Lernertexte” (FD-LEX) provides educational researchers access to over 6,200 texts by students of various ages that were collected in different writing projects. Transcripts and handwritten originals as well as anonymized metadata of the participants can be used for own research projects.

Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB)

The associated partner “Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB)” is a research institute that supports the federal states of Germany in developing and monitoring the quality of primary and secondary education. As an academic institution of the German states, the IQB is an associated institute of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The educational standards, which have been introduced by the Standing Conference of the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs of the federal states of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK), form the basis of their work. These educational standards describe competencies students are expected to have developed at a certain point in their school career. The mission of the IQB is to monitor regularly to which degree these goals are met by schools in Germany (educational monitoring). Furthermore, the IQB supports the German states in implementing the educational standards, which are expected to serve as a central orienting framework for all actors in the educational system (implementation). In addition, the IQB is a research institute that conducts research projects in several areas of empirical educational research.

Important work and services:

Educational Monitoring and Implementation:

Under the auspices of the IQB, experienced teachers develop large collections of test items designed to measure competencies aligned with the educational standards.
The IQB develops proficiency level models as tools for interpreting test scores. These models provide a more concrete description of what students with a given test score are able to do.
The IQB conducts National Assessment Studies (Ländervergleiche) in order to determine the extent to which educational standards are being met in the 16 German federal states.
The IQB coordinates the development of items for state-wide comparison tests. These tests provide teachers with information on the strengths and weaknesses of their students with regard to the educational standards and are expected to promote the implementation of competence-oriented teaching.
In collaboration with experts in subject-matter education, the IQB publishes collections of annotated learning tasks which teachers may use in class.
The IQB coordinates the development of a pool of Abitur examination questions based on the educational standards.

Research – Some of the central research questions are:

How are students’ competencies structured and how can they be assessed?
Which factors influence educational success of children and adolescents?
How can methodological and statistical requirements of educational testing and large-scale assessments best be met?
Language skills are vital for school success. How can their development be measured and promoted?
To what extent and under which circumstances do teachers successfully adopt competence-oriented teaching methods?

Research Data Centre:

The Research Data Centre (FDZ) at IQB archives and documents data sets from national and international large-scale assessment studies and makes them accessible to researchers.

IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education

The Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) was established in 1966 as a research center for science education. As an institute of the Leibniz Association, the IPN has a nationwide function. It is also affiliated to the University of Kiel. The department heads at the IPN hold professorships at the University of Kiel.

The institute’s mission is to advance science and mathematics education through its research. Therefore, research deals with the full range of issues concerning teaching and learning in the sciences and in mathematics inside and outside schools. The institute comprises six departments: Educational Research, Educational Assessment and Measurement, Biology Education, Chemistry Education, Mathematics Education, and Physics Education. Approximately 170 people make up the IPN staff; about 130 work as researchers, including 60 doctoral students. About 50% of the staff work on projects funded by different research foundations or clients.

The IPN’s work ranges across the entire field of science, mathematics, and technology education. The IPN concentrates on long-term and nationwide research projects, which cannot be covered by universities.

The IPN research program focuses on following areas:

Aims and models of mathematics and science education
Prerequisites for teaching and learning mathematics and science
Implementation and Evaluation of Concepts for Subject-Specific Teaching and Learning Processes in Mathematics and Science
Promotion of Mathematics and Science through Competitions and Supplementary Learning Opportunities
Educational Assessment and Measurement

Besides its research activities, the IPN offers different transfer activities: Coordination of national and international student competitions in biology, chemistry, physics and environmental issues, programs for teacher education, and publications on science and mathematics education addressing teachers and scientists.

Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology (HIB)

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology (HIB) is a research institute within the University of Tübingen. The institute focuses on individual, social and institutional determinants of learning and teaching processes. It takes an inter-disciplinary approach drawing from psychology, educational science and other disciplines. The Hector Research Institute is mainly funded by the Hector Foundation II. In addition, the state Baden-Württermberg funds the Tübingen Postdoctoral Academy for Research on Education (PACE).

Research at the institute can be grouped into the following six focus areas: (1) Educational Effectiveness, (2) Motivation, (3) Personality, (4) Potential Development and Giftedness, (5) Teaching Quality and Professional Competencies of Teachers as well as (6) Methodological Research. The institute played a leading role in the establishment of the LEAD Graduate School (Learning, Eduational Achievement and Life Course Development) which was funded by the Excellence Initiative via the German Research Foundation and has since developed into a flourishing research network.

Important work and services:

The Hector Research Institute is responsible for the multi-cohort longitudinal studies TOSCA, which examines educational biographies of high school students, and TRAIN, which analyses effect of learning environments in lower tracks in secondary education. With Professor Hasselhorn (DIPF) the institute also runs the scientific evaluation of the Hector Children’s Academies.
Regarding research on methods, the Hector Research Institute develops new statistical tools and strives to make them freely available as software (e.g. see here).
Within the National Education Panel Study (NEPS), the Hector Research Institute coordinates the focus area „From Upper Gymnasium Level and Transition to Higher Education, Vocational Training, or the Labor Market“ together with Professor Maaz (DIPF).

Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute (GEI)

The Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute (GEI) is a centre for research in educational media and is one of a kind in Germany. Its mission consists in carrying out practice-oriented, multidisciplinary research on textbooks and other school-based educational media, informed by the disciplines of history and cultural studies. The GEI also advises national and international stakeholders in educational policy and practice. The Institute coordinates and mediates debates and cooperations on international textbook-related matters. As a non-university establishment that both conducts research and makes research possible, the GEI sees itself as a research-oriented infrastructural institution. Its main attraction is the Research Library, with an internationally unique collection of textbooks from the areas of history, social studies/civics, geography and ethics/religion. With the information and communication portal Edumeres, the GEI provides virtual access to current information, publications and data from research on textbooks and educational media, organized into several modules.

Key research activities and services at the GEI:

With the advancement of digitalisation, education is undergoing a fundamental change. In response, the GEI has broadened its focus to include digital educational media. Research on knowledge and interpretation, on the societal dimension of media-based transformation, and on the use and adoption of new technology goes hand in hand with an expansion of the Research Library’s collection and the continuing digitisation of its holdings.
The GEI provides a diverse range of academic transfer and other services. It acts, for instance, as a coordinator for bilateral textbook commissions and projects and supplies consultation services on textbook-related matters to national and international education policymakers, practitioners and organisations. Additionally, it has served as a mediator in conflict-laden situations surrounding textbooks and provides support for the development of new textbooks and educational media.
The GEI’s research library, which holds a unique collection of history, geography, social studies and ethics/religious education textbooks from around the world, has been designated as a Special Subject Collection library by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is the textbook centre of the Council of Europe.
The GEI runs the information and communication portal Edumeres.net, which acts as a virtual point of access to educational media research conducted from the perspective of historical and cultural studies.
The Institute has its own visiting professorship through the Georg Arnhold Program on Education for Sustainable Peace.

German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE)

The German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE) is an extramural research institute, which processes the socially and educationally relevant task of substantiated learning and adult education acadamically and its succesful development. As a central institution for research, politics and practice, the DIE supports stakeholders in the field of continuing education with research findings and services. The range of tasks includes application-relevant and fundamental research, infrastructural services as well as counselling for politics and practice.

On this basis, the institute’s activities focus on two objectives: On the one hand, they support adult education science and research with national and international publications and research data. On the other hand, this knowledge contributes to the development and sustainable professionalization of practice. The claim is to acknowledge and meet the needs of science, practice and politics equally. Another objective is the productive exchange with international stakeholders to visualise adult education in Germany in the international context and to position it in the European educational debate. DIE employees elaborate research and infrastructural services in six departments, which are closely connected and cooperate in numerous projects. All research activities focus on the prerequisites, forms and consequences of adult learning. They cover all areas of continuing education: adult learning processes, didactic design of programmes, staff, organisation and management of continuing education institutions in various institutional contexts, and financial, political and legal aspects of the continuing education system. DIE services are a supporting pillar of the academic infrastructure in German continuing education – increasingly often in open access. This covers publications, statistical services, professional data base and portals as well as an academic specialised library for adult education.

Important Work and Services:

wb-web, a portal for teachers in adult and continuing education (only available in German), is a nationally unique information infrastructure for a user group of more than 530,000 full-time, freelance and part-time adult educators. wb-web provides basic information on the activity fields and an adult educational knowledge base. All materials are offered as open educational resources (OER).
The project OWL (Open web-based learning space for continuing professional development of adult educators) enhances an online learning opportunity for adult educators, which results in the development of the online learning space wb-web. It contributes to the professionalisation of educators, which is highly relevant for the quality and effect of continuing education.
The DIE publication series “DIE Survey. Data and reports on continuing education” (only available in German) covers current research findings gained in empirical studies of the continuing education system – available in open access. The publications are directed at stakeholders in education policy, practical continuing education, as well as national and international research. The series was launched in spring 2016 – its first titel was: „Das Personal in der Weiterbildung. Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen, Qualifikationen, Einstellungen zu Arbeit und Beruf“ (“Staff in continuing education. Work and employment conditions, qualifications, attitude toward work and profession” – only available in German).
wb-personalmonitor – Personal in der Weiterbildung. Beschäftigungsverhältnisse und Tätigkeiten (wb-personell monitor. Staff in continuing education) is an extensive survey of adult and continuing education staff, which was conducted by the DIE, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and the University of Duisburg-Essen. The findings were published in the new publication series “DIE-Survey” (see above). Based on this data, staff in continuing education was first incorporated into the National Report 2016. (only in German)
The “Deutsche Weiterbildungsatlas“ (Atlas on German continuing education) is a research project in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation, which processes the transparency of regional and municipal differences in continuing education programmes and participation for the first time. Thus, striking differences of regional continuing education behaviour as well as inhibitory and encouraging factors of regional adult educational chances were identified. In a subsequent study on continuing education behaviour and programmes, the focus on districts and independent cities was more emphasised. The open access volume is available here (only in German).
Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung (Journal for Research on Adult Education) is the leading scientific journal for research debates and findings in the field of adult and continuing education science and associated disciplines. It is available only in German via open access.