Culture
From March 9-15, 2025, a 13-person delegation of Americans visited Siegen, Düsseldorf, Aachen, and some smaller German towns in between, as part of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s (PSBA) International Education Study Group to provide school board members and school administrators from the state with an overview of the German education system, including how it works, how the system achieves results, how it is funded, and much more. The intent of the project is to gather ideas for the adaptation and implementation of German practices and to develop recommendations centered on changes Pennsylvania school districts could implement to significantly enhance district academics, operations, facilities, and culture. Members of the delegation represented rural and suburban school districts from across the state of Pennsylvania.
The delegation’s program began in Siegen, a city of 100,000 people about 85 miles north of Frankfurt, with meetings at the University of Siegen. In the morning, the group met with the Faculty of Mathematics at the Universität Siegen to learn about two projects related to artificial intelligence and STEM training in schools. The KIMADU project supports 10,000 students in 25 secondary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia in integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) into mathematics and German lessons. The aim of the project is to develop teaching concepts to promote subject-specific and interdisciplinary skills as well as general 21st Century Skills (OECD), to advise teachers on the use of AI tools in regular lessons, and in particular, to explore the potential of individual support using co-active learning with AI. In order to overcome a new digital divide between those who can utilize AI and those who cannot, initiatives like this to develop AI-empowered teachers and students – where learners are leaders, not just recipients or collaborators – are critical. The delegation also learned about a transatlantic Authentic STEM project that allows German and American high school students to work in teams on real-world pragmatic issues with industry partners to make the connection between math in the classroom and how it is used in the workplace. Both projects are funded by the Ministry of Education of North Rhine-Westphalia.
At the university’s Zentrum für Lehrkräftebildung und Bildungsforschung / Center for Teacher Education and Education Research, the group learned about the structure of teacher education in Germany, including its many challenges similar to the United States, in an engaging conversation with university administrators, faculty, and student teachers entering the profession. The discussion focused on why Germans decide to become teachers (or not) and the challenges currently being faced in Germany related to teachers, i.e. recruitment and retention, professional development, and the influx of many immigrant schoolchildren with little German language skills and other skill deficits that require greater attention.
Later in the afternoon, the delegation visited the Städtisches Gymnasium Olpe / Olpe Municipal High School in the small town of Olpe and had its first opportunity to see a typical German secondary school, discussing the courses offered, gaining an understanding for the school’s administrative and funding structure, and talking with students about their experiences.
The International Study Group spent their second day in Düsseldorf, the capital of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), visiting the state’s Ministry of Education and the State Parliament of North-Rhine Westphalia. At the NRW Education Ministry, the delegation received an overview of the German dual apprenticeship system which provides 2- to 3-year training programs combining theoretical learning at vocational schools with on-the-job paid training in companies to approximately 50% of German secondary school graduates. In addition, the group learned about the ministry’s efforts to support immigrant integration through education and multilingualism. Believing strongly in the principle of helping others and diversity as a benefit to the entire society, the education ministry has now supported 5,000 additional positions in schools to promote and improve participation and integration through education with regard to intercultural teaching and school development, as well as universal language education. Lastly, they took part in an interactive lesson on how AI is being used in the classroom. The state of NRW has developed guidelines for how AI may be used and on their www.lernen-digital.nrw website, there are examples provided, including a card set for prompting skills, practical examples for lesson planning and implementation in foreign languages, as well as the role that basic skills and the so-called 4Cs (communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking) play in effective and efficient dialogue with AI.
At the Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen, members of the State Parliament’s Education Committee and NRW-USA parliamentary group shared their perspectives on the educational challenges facing the state and the policies being undertaken to address them. Once again, both the Germans and Americans stressed the value in sharing ideas and experiences at the state level to find pragmatic solutions that can help prepare and educate our youth for the future. During a dinner meeting, the U.S. Consul General in Düsseldorf highlighted the strong business ties between NRW and Pennsylvania and the many opportunities to strengthen cooperation in education and workforce development, particularly through programs like this that also provide insights on Germany’s vocational education system which is much more extensive than in the United States.
On Wednesday, the delegation met with the Düsseldorf Office for Schools and Education / Amt für Schule und Bildung to gain an understanding for the roles and responsibilities related to local and state oversight of schools, as well as how funding is shared to support school systems. The state of NRW has oversight over “internal” matters such as curricula and the hiring of principals and teachers, who are state employees, and the municipalities are responsible for “external” matters including school buildings and facilities, furniture, teaching materials, and IT equipment, as well as the hiring of janitors and secretaries. In the afternoon, the group visited the Mercedes-Benz Training Center where they had the opportunity to talk with apprentices, trainers, and representatives from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Düsseldorf to learn about the German dual system of apprenticeship training. Chambers help monitor and manage the various elements of apprenticeship programs and thousands of companies like Mercedes-Benz provide paid, on-site practical training to apprentices who also attend vocational schools for theoretical classes.
On Thursday, participants visited the General Secondary School – Hauptschule and the Gymnasium in Korschenbroich where they visited classrooms, learned about the courses offered, and had the opportunity to interact and talk with students in small group conversations. The mayor of Korschenbroich greeted the group and expressed his desire for more exchanges at the local level to provide students with international perspectives and to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States. Generally, students who attend the Hauptschule complete a high school degree at the age of 15 or 16 which enables them to then enter into a 2- or 3-year apprenticeship program. Students who attend the Gymnasium complete a high school degree that enables them to attend a university. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Gustav-Heinemann Comprehensive School in Alsdorf, talking with administrators and students about how they strive to provide educational opportunities that allow every student to reach his or her potential through special language programs, inclusion of students with special needs, and international exchange opportunities. The comprehensive school model began in NRW about 50 years ago with the aim to create more equality and fairness of opportunity by providing a single school system for students of all abilities, combining the traditional three-tiered system (Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium).
On Friday, the delegation wrapped up its program with some amazing visits in Aachen. At the Städtische Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Malmedyer Straße / Municipal Elementary School, the delegation learned about the school’s “joint learning” (gemeinsames Lernen) teaching method to support students with special educational needs, how students are assessed in 4th grade for further school training in one of the four school models noted above, and parental involvement in school activities, amongst many other topics. The core topics focused on during primary school education include digital education, education for a sustainable world, intercultural education, democratic education, gender-sensitive education, and cultural education. A highlight of the visit was taking part in a music class and interacting with 3rd grade students in an English class.
At the Zentrum für schulpraktische Lehrerausbildung / Center for Practical Teacher Training, the group had the opportunity to talk with student teachers completing their 18-month practical training in various types of schools, to see how future teachers are being trained in the Center’s Digital Maker Place, and to understand the core tenets of education training for teachers which includes a grounding in democracy. The preparatory service for teaching posts is the final practical training phase for the teaching profession after obtaining an education degree from a university. It takes place at the 33 centers for practical teacher training similar to the one in Aachen which are located throughout the state of NRW. The delegation’s final meeting was with the Euregionales Medienzentrum Aachen / Euregional Center for Digital Education where they experienced how VR tools are being used in the classroom and learned about the vast resources provided to educators in North-Rhine Westphalia about AI, VR, and other media tools. The center maintains an extensive online media library that can be accessed by teachers, and its MediaLab offers various consulting services for educational teachers and specialists as well as a digital classroom and a consulting room where innovative technology can be tested and borrowed without any limitations.
The American Council on Germany is grateful to all our many hosts throughout the week who welcomed the delegation with open arms and who were excited to share ideas and look for future collaboration between educators in NRW and Pennsylvania. We are especially grateful for all the support provided to us on this trip by Barbara Richter and her colleagues at the NRW Ministry of Education. The trip was organized as part of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministerium für Schule und Bildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), with support from the American Council on Germany, to broaden and deepen the exchange of people and information and to share best practices, build relationships, and develop recommendations for approaches and strategies to support educational administration. Pennsylvania and North Rhine-Westphalia have a long-standing relationship dating back to when the first Germans emigrated from Krefeld to Pennsylvania in 1683, and today the states are recognized as “sister states.”
Participants on this trip, some of whom had never been outside the United States, noted a number of lessons learned that they believe will be valuable in their school districts and expressed a desire to continue an exchange of information with their German counterparts, as well as establishing additional exchanges for students, teachers, and administrators. The ACG looks forward to supporting the PSBA and their efforts to share international perspectives on education in Pennsylvania and to build further bridges with the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
Find more about the education trip here.
