Challenges in Supporting All-Day Schools in Germany

Abstract

All-day schools have to increase the efficiency and fairness of educational systems. Each year, more schools take initial steps to become good all-day schools. But how will they be able to become good and recognised all-day schools? This submission is based on our long-term experience as the Deutschen Kinder- und Jugendstiftung (German Children and Youth Foundation) and its partners in the federal states. The paper examines possibilities to improve quality development of all-day schools. The concept for nationwide all-day school networks shows to be a sustainable instrument in developing the quality of schools and their cooperation with external partners. Derived from practical insights, we illustrate opportunities offered by all-day schools, inspiring the process of learning in a new way. In our case the Federal State of Hesse provides a framework for successful cooperation of all-day schools with external partners by a special program of extended education. All these efforts, implemented in order to reach quality development, nevertheless, have to face a great shortcoming of teachers and educational staff in Germany. This paper offers a constructive approach by describing a certificate course offered by the service agency Ganztaegig lernen Schleswig-Holstein. Quality development succeeds by networks, participation by educators, strengthening partnerships between all-day schools and external partners and a transformed teaching and learning culture in all-day schools.