VBKI wants to focus on learning success

VBKI projects to improve the educational situation

The "Education Trends 2021" of the Institute for Quality Development in Education show the major deficits of fourth graders in German and math skills in the capital. What is particularly tragic is that no other federal state invests more money per capita in the education of the next generation. Against this backdrop, it is difficult to bear the fact that the capital is still regularly at the bottom of the relevant rankings.

Many of Berlin's problems as an education location are due to structural problems that cannot be solved quickly. Nevertheless, pragmatic and practicable approaches are needed to bring about change and, above all, improvement. The learning success of pupils should be the central focus here.

To this end, systematic comparisons of pupil performance must be used to improve the quality of teaching, better coordination of the responsible bodies in the education system must be established and more quality, such as a stronger vocational and practical orientation in schools, must be ensured. The VBKI is pursuing two projects that contribute to these goals. The Berliner Lesepaten project encourages pupils to enjoy reading. In order to support children in their academic development at an early age, volunteer reading mentors visit daycare centers and schools to strengthen the reading and learning skills of children and young people. The institutions selected are primarily those with a high proportion of children with a migration background or parents who receive transfer payments. There are currently 2,400 people at Berliner Lesepaten who provide 270,000 hours of reading for 12,000 children at 320 daycare centers and schools. Even if this project has not yet led to Berlin improving its performance, the VBKI will not let up in its efforts.

The second project is entitled "Focus on pupil performance" and aims to significantly improve the quality of Berlin's schools. The focus here is on the learning processes and learning success of pupils. The VBKI is carrying out the Fokus Schülerleistung project together with the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family. Above all, it supports the recommendations of the so-called "Köller Commission", which are to be implemented with the help of a quality advisory board. These recommendations place a clear focus on improving pupil performance.

Schools receive a great deal of information about the performance of their pupils. The Fokus Schülerleistung project asks whether teachers work with this information in a targeted manner. Is it being used to improve student performance? How do school administrators use aggregated data to develop the school? Surprising results have been developed in the exchange between companies and schools. An important goal has been achieved. Schools are establishing themselves as learning systems.

Schools must take seriously their mission to teach pupils in the best possible way and place their performance at the center of school work. The Senate Department for Education must tackle the structural problems of Berlin's schools. As a first step, it can strengthen school principals and school supervisors in improving the quality of their institutions by making better use of data. Hamburg is a good example of how this can be done.