Austrian & German School System

     The Austrian and German school systems are more complex than the system most are familiar with. There are multiple options for secondary schools and multiple options for post-secondary schools. In some situations, the decison of which route the student will take is completley out of their control. In a way, their future is decided for them. 

     According to the video, after grade four, the students are divided between three different secondary schools, Haputschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium. German student Jule Frenk, "the teachers don't decide about the next school their students will go to, the parents decide." This decision is based off mulitple factors. Each secondary school leads to a different outcome. The Gymnasium, the highest level of secondary school, leads to a test known as the Abitur. This is comparable to the ACT. The test is a factor in continuating on to study at a University. The Realschule is the next level. This generally leads to a Univeristy, but a position in fields such as business and hospitality. The Hauptschule is the lowest level secondary school and typically leads to a technical career. In the situation that a student is unhappy with their secondary school decision, they may choose to test into a different school. Frenk said, "You are allowed to get your skills tested and if you were not happy with the teacher's decision and scored well on the test, you were allowed to go to a higher school." 

     Jule Frenk, German student, has been out of the school system for one year. She was sent on the track towards the the Gymnasium. The decision was made by both her parents and teacher. The decision process of choosing which school to attend can be hard, but eventually the transition became easier and uncertainty decreased as time goes on. After taking her Abitur, Freno has spent the last year traveling and plans to attend a University studying Event Managment (J. Frenk, personal communication, September 10, 2017). 

     Anna Heine, German student, has also been out of the school system for one year. She attended Scheffel Gymnasium. At the time of her transistion, she remembers feeling very confused. She was the only student sent to the Gymnasium from her class. Although the Gymnasium is more difficult than other schools, Anna felt like it was a good fit for her. She felt prepared. After taking her Abitur, she applied to a German University (A. Heine, personal communciation, September 10, 2017).  

     Melena Leitner, German student, has been out of the school system for one year. Similar to Frenk and Heine, Leitner attended the Gymnasium and graduated after completing her Abitur. Following graduation, she began an internship with a ministry located in Berlin, Germany. In her particular city, children were separated into different educational routes following fourth grade. In other schools in her area, children are sepirated after sixth grade. Through her years in the school system, Leitner has realized that the third level of school, the Hauptschule, is not as common. When asked how many children attended this level of schooling she said, ”I wouldn’t be surprised if children soon stopped attending the Hauptschule.” From her experience, a majority of students attend the Realschule or the Gymnasium (M. Leitner, personal communicatio, September 26, 2017). 

References:

German Education System (Super Simplified). (2015, April 19). Retrieved December 02, 2017, from https://youtu.be/1iFDIbxaH_w