After the disappointing results of the recent Pisa study, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), sees a need for action at nursery and elementary school levels. He emphasized that children who struggle with language skills in elementary school are less likely to succeed in other subjects. Wüst criticized the federal government's cuts to the language daycare program, which provides additional support for children whose parents speak little or no German. Contrastingly, the black-green NRW state government has not reduced funding for children and young people despite budget constraints, even compensating for federal cuts in funding for language daycare centers.
Following the corona pandemic, the devastating effects of school closures on children's education have been brought to light with the Pisa study. Refugee children, in particular, urgently need help to learn basic skills like language and math. In the published study, German 15/16-year-olds achieved the weakest performance values in reading, mathematics, and science compared to other industrialized countries. One concerning finding is that a quarter of children in the fourth grade struggle with language at an age-appropriate level.
To address this issue, the NRW government launched an action plan to improve teaching provision, with initial successes reported, including the recruitment of over 4,000 teachers, social workers, and school psychologists. The Pisa results will likely be discussed at the Conference of Education Ministers and will be presented in the context of a report on teacher recruitment and training.
As a response to Wüst's calls for action, several strategies can be considered:
- Implement multilingual education programs, using multilingual teaching materials to enhance learning by providing a wider range of linguistic terms and phrases.
- Ensure teachers have the necessary proficiency in German and utilize multimedia and multilingual media offerings in the classroom to effectively integrate multilingualism into their teaching methods.
- Develop an inclusive curriculum that acknowledges and supports students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, tailoring instruction to meet their needs.
- Encourage parental involvement in their children's education, as parents practicing their native language at home can support linguistic development.
- Regularly assess students' language skills and provide constructive feedback to guide teachers in adjusting their teaching methods.
- Utilize multimedia and multilingual media offerings in the classroom to make learning more engaging and accessible for students with diverse linguistic backgrounds.
By implementing these strategies, North Rhine-Westphalia can potentially improve language skills in elementary school children, aligning with Minister President Hendrik Wüst’s goals to address the disappointing Pisa study results.
