Education International Research
Children who are classified as having special needs due to physical, mental or psychological conditions either attend separate schools or receive additional support in regular schools or classes, according to the concept of inclusive education. The share of school students in special needs schools in Bremen was 1.5 per cent in the 2014/15 academic year (Malecki, 2016, p.22) – the lowest quota of all states, as most special needs schools have been dissolved in Bremen. Indeed, the right of inclusion is implemented differently across states: in Bremen, 77 per cent of all students eligible for special-needs education are in regular schools, compared to 27 per cent in Bavaria (KMK, 2016c, p.6). 2.1.3. Teachers and other staff in schools The German model of teacher education requires the achievement of a Bachelor and a Master’s degree, plus a state-regulated preparatory service (Referendariat) with a final practical exam. The content of this training varies from state to state, as states educate teachers for their specific school system. In recent years, teacher education usually includes preparation for a diverse student population as part of the curriculum, including preparation for teaching in classes with students who are not proficient in German as the main language of tuition.17 However, a recent study found that, in most states, teachers may enter schools unprepared with regards to language education in all subjects (SVR, 2017a, p.130). On employment in a public school, most fully trained teachers are integrated into state systems either as lifetime civil servants with specific favourable regulations around health and old age security, or as salaried employees. Headteachers are teachers with, at most, only limited additional training (teacher union representative). In the past, learning was almost exclusively organised according to the ‘one teacher, one class, one room’ principle. This learning setting still dominates, but is increasingly being substituted by team-teaching – rarely with two teachers in class, and more often with one teacher who organises differentiated learning with the support of a range of approaches including assistants for disabled students, with students, trainees or volunteers. In addition, large schools usually have one or more social workers who address social learning and disciplinary problems outside regular classes. Data on the presence of different types of professionals in the school system are not available. Indeed, staff shortages are prevalent across the country. Between 2000 and 2015, almost 1,800 primary schools closed in response to decreasing student numbers; teacher training programmes have also reduced in number. 17 The abbreviation ‘ELL’ for English language learners is used in English-speaking countries. The phrase ‘second language learners’ is also used. As a general term for comparative analysis, tuition language learners (TLL) is suggested.
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