Abstract
In Germany as in most European systems, the structure of education is divided into a number of tiers: primary level, aged 6–10 years, secondary level 1, aged 11–15 years and secondary level 2, aged 16–18 years. Added to this are children’s early years centres, which provide daycare and other related services for community use often organising before and after-school clubs. In some states of Germany, the comprehensive school remains the basic secondary type, although it is under considerable critical re-appraisal. After the age of 10 (in some states after 12), the system is by and large divided between academic schools, the Gymnasia, and schools with a more vocational focus, the Hauptschulen (up to grade 9) and the Realschulen (up to grade 10). Although the federal states have their own guidelines, school building is the responsibility of the municipal or district authority, with the superior school authority and the various ministries for cultural affairs granting final consent to new building projects. The PISA Study (Programme for International Student Assessment) of education standards in 28 OECD countries, conducted in 2000, caused considerable anxiety with its largely negative assessment of German students’ achievements compared to other leading economies. This has created much public attention for education issues and school environments.
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© 2007 Birkhäuser Verlag AG
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(2007). Educational Systems. In: A Design Manual Schools and Kindergartens. Design Manuals. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8329-9_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8329-9_2
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-7053-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-7643-8329-9
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