Advocates for Cultural Education propose consistent backing for academic institutions
In German schools, cultural offerings are no longer isolated actions, according to Lydia Grün, a member of the Council for Cultural Education. A study by the Council reveals that 90% of all comprehensive schools in Germany have at least one extracurricular cultural offering, extending beyond regular art and music lessons.
However, the study also highlights a concern: only 50% of the staff working in cultural areas in comprehensive schools are adequately trained. To address this issue, Lydia Grün advocates for a systematic approach to cultural education, including hiring qualified staff.
The empowerment for schools to connect with cultural institutions and hire qualified staff comes primarily through coordinated efforts led by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK). The KMK facilitates collaboration among the federal states, including educational and cultural policy alignment, which supports systematic cooperation with cultural institutions and helps standardize hiring practices for qualified educators and cultural staff.
In practice, this empowerment is demonstrated through several ways:
- The KMK's role in uniting education and cultural ministries across the Länder to establish common frameworks.
- Broad policy guidelines set by Federal Ministries of Education, Cultural Affairs, and Science that encourage cultural integration in schools and facilitate staff hiring based on qualifications.
- Schools benefiting from flexible curricula that incorporate cultural education components and civic topics, such as remembrance projects about the Holocaust, fostering direct engagement with cultural history and institutions.
- Emphasis on teacher collaboration, as seen in shared workspaces and teamwork, which supports professional development and possibly the inclusion of cultural specialists in school faculties.
While precise descriptions of formal programs or funding mechanisms specifically focused on cultural institution partnerships and recruitment were not detailed in the search results, the federal structure allowing cross-Länder coordination and cultural education integration through the KMK stands as the key foundation for systematic cultural education and staffing empowerment in German schools.
Lydia Grün further suggests that schools should have a budget and autonomy to systematically connect with cultural institutions. This includes engagement with dance, theater, digital worlds, work with literary texts, and visits to cultural institutions.
However, for more specific structural details such as funding models, hiring procedures for cultural educators, or formal partnerships between schools and cultural institutions, these are not explicitly covered in the available sources and would require further detailed research into KMK policies or individual Land-level programs.
In light of Lydia Grün's suggestions, schools could benefit from incorporating other education-and-self-development opportunities, such as partnerships with dance, theater, digital worlds, and cultural institutions for engaging events and learning experiences. To effectively manage these partnerships and hire qualified staff, schools might require a budget and autonomous decision-making, enabling them to build on current learning initiatives.
