Education author on the new Pisa study: “The reforms came too late”

taz: Mr. Brand, the results of the new PISA study are once again not very encouraging: the performance of German students has continued to deteriorate, but inequality of opportunities is still extremely high. How do you explain the fact that Germany is simply unable to reverse the trend?

Alexander Brand: Part of the results can certainly be explained by the corona pandemic and the long school closures in this country. Apparently the gaps that arose back then could no longer really be closed. On the other hand, I believe that schools have neglected the basic skills – reading, writing, arithmetic – for too long. It's good that there has been a change in thinking here in recent years. However, the reforms came too late for the current PISA study.

taz: The states have ordered more time for reading and arithmetic in primary schools and are establishing more compulsory early childhood language support. In addition, the federal and state governments are investing heavily in socially disadvantaged students through the “Starting Opportunities Program”. When do you think this might translate into better Pisa results?

Brand: It will take a few more years before there are measurable successes. But I am convinced that the measures make sense and will also have an impact. What worries me, however, is the increasing influence of social media. We know from research that early and uncontrolled social media use not only suffers from mental health, but also from school performance. The fact that the PISA results have just deteriorated so much in so many countries probably has something to do with this.

31 years old, is a teacher at a Hamburg district school and also works as an editor for the “German School Portal” of the Robert Bosch Foundation. For his book “The Education World Champions,” Brand spent six months visiting around 30 schools in Finland, Estonia, Japan and Singapore.

taz: So, like Federal Education Minister Prien (CDU), are you in favor of a clear age limit?

Brand: Yes. But it's not just about social media for me. We should take a very critical look at digitalization in schools, as has recently happened in some Scandinavian countries. In Germany, however, the debate often ends at the point of whether the tablet or the notebook is the better learning tool. But if we distribute tablets in elementary school, then this must also be carefully pedagogically accompanied and all teachers must be prepared for this. Estonia could be a good role model here. Schools there promote digital skills right from the start and achieve good results - including at Pisa.

taz: Back to the German results. You work as a math and physics teacher at a Hamburg district school. How do you deal with the fact that fewer and fewer students are achieving the minimum standards in class?

Brand: That's a serious problem. For example, last year I had an eleventh grade physics class in which one student didn't know how many meters there were in a kilometer. In such a case, however, you should not lower your expectations of these students and perhaps give them easier tasks in the future. I think that's a mistake: Anyone who gives up on these young people and perhaps gives them this feeling is cementing social inequality. I try to challenge such students just as much as those who are further along.

taz: Internal differentiation increases social inequality?

Brand: The problem is the perception of learning in Germany, which is characterized by deficits. Anyone who receives special education support in Germany usually has to have a diagnosed learning difficulty or disability. Firstly, this funding is heavily stigmatized. Secondly, the funding also excludes a large proportion of students. In other countries it works completely differently. All children who need it are supported early and flexibly. Finland, for example, does this in an exemplary manner.

taz: You traveled to this country for your book “The Education World Champions”, as well as Estonia, Japan and Singapore. In other words, countries that usually end up at the top in Pisa. What are the schools there doing better?

Brand: There are a lot of things. The Finnish funding model definitely convinced me. There are different funding levels that build on each other. Up to 30 percent of Finnish students up to the ninth grade receive support every year that goes beyond classroom instruction - not from specialist teachers, but from special education teachers. Such a funding model initially sounds very resource-intensive. But if you start school right away, many gaps don't even arise. And the funding often only lasts for a limited time. The German school system could take a big leap forward.

Brand: Through more teamwork among teachers. In all four countries, I noticed that teaching and reflecting together is an integral part of everyday school life. In Singapore, for example, teachers work in professional learning communities, prepare projects together and exchange ideas through peer internships. Of course, this is only possible if the space is there for it. In Japan and Singapore, teachers have to teach significantly less than in Germany. In addition to more teamwork, continuous further training for teachers - during working hours - is also a priority in these countries. That would also be good for the quality of teaching in this country.

taz: In this country, schools sometimes prohibit further training because otherwise too many lessons would be canceled. How realistic is it that teachers here work less?

Brand: This is of course difficult at the moment due to the lack of staff. But in a few years the number of students will fall significantly due to the drastic decline in birth rates. And then it would be wise to use the resources that are freed up. For example, for a lower teaching load or for more support offers.

taz: What role does longer collaborative learning actually play for the PISA winners? Educational researchers have long criticized the fact that students in this country are divided into different types of schools at a very early stage.

Brand: In Japan, Finland and Estonia, young people stay in a common system until they are around 15 years old, and division according to performance levels is deliberately delayed. And even Singapore, known for its elitist school system, is gradually moving away from early selection. The countries are underlining what international research has been showing for a long time: in countries without early separation, the differences between strong and weak students tend to become smaller over the course of school time - in Germany, however, the achievement gap widens significantly.

taz: One argument against studying together for a longer period of time is the fear of a general decline in performance.

Brand: That has actually been refuted by international studies. A later school division does not harm any ability group, not even the top five percent. But you can put it another way, namely: Early selection has no influence on the general level of performance, i.e. not a negative one either. But it is more unfair.

taz: In your book you write how difficult it is to attribute a country's educational success to individual measures. Nevertheless: Where should education policy in Germany start now?

Brand: One recommendation would be to approach learning support much more seriously. In Germany, teachers are often supposed to do this during regular lessons. The countries I visited provide targeted resources to support students in small groups or temporarily one-on-one, parallel to or after regular lessons. Another recommendation would be not to lose sight of specialist knowledge despite all the competence orientation in this country. Project or problem-oriented tasks only make sense when there is a foundation of knowledge. Countries like Japan and Singapore find a good middle ground.

taz: Is there anything that Germany does better than others?

Brand: Absolutely. In Japan, for example, the incredible pressure to perform begins at the high school level at the latest. In order to succeed in the entrance exams at one of the few good universities, almost everyone takes private tutoring. This is much better regulated in Germany. And all the countries I visited for my book research envied our dual training system.