Comprehensive school

This report presents the status of the research project after 18 months and two phases of data collection. It primarily formulates answers to the question of the transition from the elementary level to the secondary level of the community school and is based on the analysis of area-wide classroom observations, interviews with school administrators,
colleagues, and students at the schools participating in the study. Answers to the question about the practice of individualized support are included in the statements about the transition.

Final report

• Lesson design and lesson development and
• Learning level development (cohort comparison of a two-time run of the learning level tests in grades 7 and 9).

The results show that the development of the Comprehensive schools towards a school for all students is characterised by progress and the consolidation of what has been achieved. The schools succeed in supporting students individually. This means that weaker students can be brought close to the middle and the more capable students are motivated to make further learning progress.

The Comprehensive schools achieve one of their main goals, namely the separation of learning success and social origin. Students from a socially stressed background often achieve equally good learning progress as those from less socially stressed parental homes.

Comprehensive schools also largely meet the requirements of an inclusive school. The students with special educational needs have achieved considerable growth in learning, while a comparison of classes with and without students with special educational needs shows no disadvantages of joint learning. In some instances, the learning progress in “inclusive” classes was actually especially high.

The objective for the scientific support was the process-oriented evaluation of the development and implementation of the Comprehensive school pilot phase. This means that the schools were supported throughout the qualification process and received help in developing and continuously reviewing their goals and quality criteria.

All told, the scientific questions were concerned with eight topics:

1. Framework conditions

2. Development of type of school related offerings

3. Development of motives for choosing a school and decision-making preferences of parents

4. Management and organization of the schools

5. School performance (including assessments of learning levels in four subjects)

6. School climate

7. Design of learning and teaching

8. Transfer effects.

The scientific support was commissioned after a Europe-wide tender. The consortium consists of Rambøll management, the Office for school development and school development research of the University of Hamburg and the school development experts Ulrich Vieluf and Professor Dr. Johannes Bastian.

The interim reports from 2008 to 2013 can be found here:

Grundsatzangelegenheiten und Schulaufsicht der Gemeinschaftsschulen