Hauptschule

The main school is a general- school form of secondary education, ie the Level 2 according to ISCED classification by UNESCO.

• 2.1 Performance Groups

Germany

The Hauptschule is a secondary school and a course of education in divided school system in Germany, the " students a basic general education " taught.

Definition

The main school - emerged in the late 1960s from the so-called upper elementary school - is a general secondary school as part of the divided school system. It usually includes the grades 5-9 and 10 in the field of secondary education and is concluded with the secondary school (vocational school readiness ). It still exists in six provinces as independent of school. In these countries, it is considered as Regular school, must thus be offered mandatory by the school authorities and is also compulsory education, " because all school-age students who do not attend other [ ... ] full-time school, are obliged to attend primary school." According to the Federal Statistics Office, there were in the school year 2004/2005 in Germany 5195 Secondary schools ( approximately 2.5% less than in the school year before) with 1.08 million students (-0.7 % compared to the previous school year ).

Educational mission and general organization

The lessons of the main school aims at the professional maturity of the students, it is highly practical, action- and method- oriented, but without sacrificing science orientation. The curriculum is basically the same of the other types of schools. Exception: The Thesis doctrine is taught and reinforced in some provinces main compartment instead of the first foreign language ( usually English ).

In addition to teaching school technical content in particular the problems of vocational guidance in their content breadth young people should be taught as a lifelong actions and decision-making process. The focus here is the issue of " career choice ", which is not easily categorized into the bin structure only each subject due to its complexity and is therefore processed in various subjects. Extracurricular vocational students gain experience by attending regional job fairs or career information center ( MIC) of the Federal Employment Agency as well as through company visits and more -week internships.

In general, the secondary school is awarded after successful completion of the 9th grade. This entitles beginning vocational training within the dual system.

To take into account the many-voiced demand for the comparability of financial statements require some federal countries (for example, Hesse, North Rhine -Westphalia and Lower Saxony ) is now mandatory one to the educational standards of the Standing Conference ( KMK) oriented written school certificate examination in the core subjects German, mathematics and first foreign language and a (partly compulsory, partly based on voluntary ) supplementary appraisal.

Country-specific priorities

North Rhine -Westphalia

In North Rhine -Westphalia, there is a ten -year full -time compulsory education, that is, that the students after the acquisition of the secondary school leaving after class 9 binding attend the 10th grade of high school. North Rhine- Westphalia awards to Class 10, two degrees: the secondary school after Class 10 and the middle school - High school after Class 10 ( corresponding to the high-school diploma ). For the classification in the Grade 10 final grades in the class 9 are crucial if necessary is also a change in the vocational area as the preparatory class for basic vocational school year or something similar possible.

Lower Saxony

At Lower Saxony secondary school the financial statements according to the classes 9 and 10 are only through participation in a central ( ie national ) Assign audit. By this standard can be purchased at the end of 9th grade of secondary school. Secondary school graduates of the 9th cohort can then voluntarily go to the 10th grade of high school and acquire the following statements at the end of Year 10 program:

• Lower secondary education - secondary school
• Lower secondary education - College student and
• Extended lower secondary education, among other things, to enter the implementation phase of the secondary school (11th or 10th grade gear) or has the right to attend a trade school.

In 2004 started to Lower Saxony's main schools in middle school a model experiment with the anxiety of adolescents over a school year with the accompanying laboratory practical work and professional world to get acquainted. At one day of class per week is available for students of the 8th vintage since a " practice day " where they visit an operation in the environment of the school and can qualify for such careers. In 2005, this practice day was renamed " operating day ".

Bavaria

In Bavaria, since the introduction of the six-level secondary school came ( successively from 1999) the main schools through lack of pupils under increasing pressure. Increasingly, especially in sparsely populated regions had close to home part of the main schools are closed - the students were grouped into main central schools and taught there.

The main school offered in Bavaria after the 9th grade at two degrees: the CSE and the CSE Qualifying. After reaching the target class in the 9th grade of secondary school the school certificate was awarded. After passing an additional examination of the so-called quality, the students received the Qualifying school certificate.

In order to improve the chances for weaker students in the labor market, special practice classes ( so-called P- classes) have been set up for those with learning difficulties and more practically gifted students. For secondary school students, which, according to their talent could also visit a secondary school, there are M classes, in which the achievement of the average educational attainment ( GCSE ) was made possible by an additional 10 school year in the main school.

As a further development of the main school, the middle school was introduced at the beginning of the school year 2010/11. The name got home schools that teach alone or together in a Schulverbund a training program that regularly covers the three branches of professional orientation (technical, economic, social ) and an all-day activities as well as leads to the middle school graduation. Middle schools should cultivate embodied cooperation with a professional school, the regional economy and the labor administration. This evolution is complete: in the school directory of the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture, the main school is already no longer listed.

Rhineland -Palatinate

Rhineland -Palatinate has extended the qualifying field of secondary education in stages since 1992. The Regional School and the Cooperative State High School next to the main school two types of schools were asked to integrate the conventional primary and secondary school educational program and allow students the main school profile on the principle of internal transmittance reaching the average educational attainment. More recent developments are that the current provincial government plans to phase out primary school by 2010 and secondary education transition fully integrated into a so-called " high school plus". All regional schools and dual high schools were converted by operation of law at the beginning of the school year 2009/2010 in secondary schools plus. In 31 secondary schools are plus started their predecessor schools were primary and / or secondary schools. For school year 2010/2011 started about 50 other high schools plus.

Hesse

The secondary school is available in the form of the simple and the qualifying Hauptschulabschluss and in the form of the central statements.

Students of the secondary school must participate in class 9 in final examinations. The final method for secondary school consists of an appraisal and written examinations in German, mathematics and English if necessary. The CSE is awarded if the total power is 4.4 or better. Good performances are made by the grant of a qualifying Hauptschulabschluss significantly ( total power 3.0 and better).

The average degree can be achieved at the end of 10 main school year with a successful passing of secondary school final examination.

Berlin

In the Land of Berlin, the elementary school was integrated together with the secondary school and the whole school in the Integrated Secondary School in 2010. Thus, there are now in Berlin only two types of schools - the Integrated secondary school and high school.

Other states

In many states, the main school is as independent of school either abolished or, as in the case of the new states, was not even built. However, it still exists in the form of a semi-integrated educational course, that is the states have to ensure by the school system that the school certificate can be purchased.

In Saarland, the main schools were replaced by the Advanced secondary schools, in which students in grades 5 and 6 taught together and divided from the 7th grade in various branches ( main or secondary school branch ). Similar paths went Thuringia with the introduction of mainstream school, Saxony with the construction of the middle school, Mecklenburg -Western Pomerania with the establishment of Regional Schools and Saxony- Anhalt, and Bremen with the merger of elementary and secondary education Ganges in so-called secondary schools.

Hamburg will have abolished the elementary and secondary schools as a separate type of school by the year 2009. In the district schools of the then newly created school certificate can be purchased as an integrated educational program. In a first step, here the citizenry has unanimously on 9 July 2008 approved the merger of elementary and secondary schools.

2007 resolved to abolish the secondary school also Schleswig -Holstein. In Schleswig- Holstein to by the school year 2010/11 nationwide regional schools arise.

School educational challenges and concepts

In many primary schools students sitting on the border with learning disability in addition to gifted and powerful boys and girls, children and adolescents with satisfactory language skills in addition to those with lower German language skills. Likewise, the students are different in their socio-cultural life. In many places, they differ in terms of their cultural or ethno- religious background as much from each other as regards the social situation within their families.

The main school has responded and various didactic and ( social) educational concepts integrated into their everyday life, to catch the obligations of the different situations problems of their student body. Among the most important of these concepts include:

• Class teacher principle,
• Team teaching,
• Vintage Cross lessons,
• Expansion of project-oriented teaching modules,
• German courses for foreign students,
• Professional qualification special or annual internships,
• School social work,
• Social group work,
• Social learning,
• Training Area ( " Arizona " model ),
• Violence prevention,
• Dispute resolution ( mediation school )
• Addiction counseling.

Criticism and attempts at reform

Various powerful secondary schools

The educational researcher Ulrich Trautwein, Jürgen Baumert and Kai Maaz identify three forms of secondary schools.

Prospects for secondary school students

40 percent of secondary school graduates make the transition to a training in the dual system. 8 percent make the transition to the school system professional ( full -time schooling or training of civil servants ). However, it would be wrong to make a blanket judgment. The opportunities for secondary school students are different from state to state. Where the main school has a strong position, exist in the artisanal sector and regarding certain commercial professions (eg retail) attractive training options.

Reasons for the negative image of the main school and reform approaches

The Hamburg educationalist Herbert Gudjons sees this picture of school due to the fact " that the visit of the main school rarely comes through free choice of a home school specific concept to pass, but is largely a result of a negative selection process." The main school Consequently, often shortened as " residual school " means. Often lead socio-cultural causes such as contaminated family environment, social isolation (eg through migration background) or missing values ​​or future prospects for students who grow up in a parallel society to the fact that students at other schools do not succeed in crossing and secondary schools in socially stressed residential areas partly to " focus schools " develop. Furthermore, it must be considered that secondary schools in an intact environment, for example in the country to have to fear the recognition of their level of education.

The main school wins primary school leavers rarely voluntarily for their educational background, but must simultaneously accommodate all those who do not find their way in the other educational programs in many places as a compulsory school. The 1964 proposed in the Hamburg Agreement upgrading of secondary school to a practice-oriented secondary school in addition to the secondary school and the high school was not accepted by the public in the sum. The figures of the Federal Statistical Office show: the proportion of secondary school pupils of all pupils of a vintage takes nationwide for years from (2002-2005: -2.4 % over the same period: Secondary 5.4 % High School: 4.7 % ). This process is in all provinces - with wide regional variations - tend to be uniform. Winner of this vote with their feet are the real schools. In view of this development is the main school within the divided school system for many school teachers now in a Legitimierungsvakuum.

The states have responded differently:

• With maintaining the high school as an independent type of school, expanded to include a 10th grade transition, making the acquisition of the Middle educational attainment is possible
• With the abolition of primary school as a separate type of school towards a divided school system with a partially or fully integrated upper secondary schools ( merger of elementary and secondary schools with internal permeability of the programs).

Political will is to make the school career upwards permeable to allow secondary school students secondary education opportunities and thus improve the low social prestige of the main education Ganges. For educational researchers to investigate the world of the young people and their academic socialization in the context of the PISA study, the fundamental problem is not solved, that the main school - even in an integrated course - within the current divided school system to be a decidedly lower-layer- specific school threatened in which due to the social background of educational disadvantage are institutionally strengthened.

Education Political Representation

The Union for Education and Science ( GEW) as DGB trade union and the Association for Education (VBE ) as an association of federal officials represent the interests of secondary school teachers unions. Thus, they also form the educational mission of the teachers in primary education.

Austria

The main school is in Austria a four-year general education compulsory schooling, which is usually attended between the ages of 10 and 14 and the elementary school (equivalent of the German elementary school ) follows, provided that they, rather than a high school education (including lower level AHS; stands as an alternative educational opportunity was elected to the students ). In order to distinguish themselves over the lower levels of general secondary schools ( high schools, AHS lower level) better and counteract impending closures due to falling pupil numbers, which specialized in recent years forms such as sports school or Musikhauptschule have developed.

In secondary schools the main subjects ( German, mathematics, English ) are performed in ability groups so that on the one hand to better promote talents and on the other hand learning disabilities can be reduced in individual subjects. Furthermore, in this type of school, the teaching staff of specialist teachers, that is, for each subject has its own teacher available (though this does not preclude, to be taught by the same instructor in two different subjects). The duration of a lesson is to be as at other schools in Austria, on 50 minutes.

In general, students attend school after completing the main pre-vocational training course or one year of a vocational school ( such as trade school), to meet the nine-year compulsory education. However, it is possible and common, even after the secondary school, (real) grammar school (four years) or a higher vocational school (five years, for example, higher technical schools or business colleges ) the way to go by visiting a Oberstufen the Matura.

School providers are as in the elementary schools, the communities, while teachers are provided by the provinces.

By one hand, a total of fewer children and on the other hand steady Image weaknesses of the main schools (mainly in the big cities ) flame always discussions about the introduction of a new middle school ( Gesamtschule ). Also because of the lack of students was responding, for example through the introduction of community school (as in Schleswig -Holstein).

Since 2000, supplemented in Austria, a third type of school, the Cooperative Middle School (KMS ), the offer of high school and lower level AHS. Many former secondary schools were converted into the school attempt KMS. 2008, the other school experiment new middle school was introduced, which is currently also does not replace but complements the main school.

Performance groups

Staff in the performance groups: While a 1 Series ( of 5 ) in the II LG called Very good, a 1er I. LG even better. Also one of 2 (Good) or 3 ( Satisfactory ) in the II LG is a 4- ( Enough ). In I and II LG there is no 5-series ( Not enough ), because when a student in the I or II LG gets a 5 Series, right in the underlying performance group graduated. The performance groups are particularly important for the subsequent school, teaching or professional, as a particular learning difficulties or strong - type allows read out at the service group. The notes in the LG are not unimportant. Of course, a 1 Series is still better than a 4s, but the LG is one of 4 different in LG I. of a number 4 in the II or III. LG.