Die Politik der Bildungsarmut

Poor educational performance is caused by a number of factors. In addition to specific student traits and educational inequality caused by students’ background and migration history, educational systems and schools can also be contributing factors. Educational policy plays a central role in this regard. With the help of an interpretive policy analysis, this book shows that society and politics cast the deciding vote on how poor educational performance is defined. Such performance cannot be measured with purely statistical means. Falling rates of poor educational outcomes and rising graduation rates create an impression of a positive development. But this book shows that even as graduation rates rise, students’ knowledge and skills aren’t keeping pace with them. Teachers and policymakers play a major role in this development, not least through education reforms motivated by party politics.