Data treasure or data graveyard? Accompanying research of the University School Dresden not secured

"No more money from January - Saxony stops grant for scientific support for Dresden University School" was the headline in the Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten newspaper on January 5. The funding for the accompanying research for the 15-year school experiment by TU Dresden and the City of Dresden from state funds as part of the TG70 project funding ended in December 2025.

Data treasure becomes a data graveyard

For three years, Saxon state funds were used to finance four employees of the University School Research Centre (ForUS) at TU Dresden. Among other things, the researchers carried out the annual learning status surveys using standardized tests at the University School Dresden and comparative schools in Dresden, as well as surveys of students, parents and teachers - but more importantly, they evaluated this data. The data collection and evaluation form the basis for data-based school development as part of the school trial, which is unique in Germany. Without evaluation, the collected data will become a data graveyard and the fundamental idea of the school experiment - to test, research and further develop innovative teaching-learning formats - will be lost.

Evidence-based school development on the brink of extinction

The Dresden University School is a research project, a place for teacher training at TU Dresden and, of course, a school for children and young people from Dresden and neighboring communities. The University Community School at the Cämmerswalder Straße site is firmly anchored in Dresden's school network plan and continues to exist even without accompanying research. However, the co-constructive process of educational research and school practice for scientifically based school development is coming to an end if funding is not continued.

The real world laboratory Universitätsschule Dresden aims to further develop, test and research the conditions for successful learning based on data. Since its foundation in 2019, for example, formats for more self-regulated learning have been developed. The ForUS team would have liked to continue working on this field of research in the context of schools, which has hardly been addressed to date.

Without the appropriate scientific support in terms of personnel, data can still be collected digitally, for example by questionnaire, from January 2026. The evidence-based development of schools - the aim of the Dresden University School trial - can no longer take place.

In addition, the evaluation report required at the halfway point of the project will be due in 2026. It has not yet been decided who will carry out this comprehensive evaluation of six years of scientifically supported school development.

Support for the real-world laboratory for the school of the future

Funding for the accompanying research is no longer secured for 2026. The school community has launched the #TUDForUS series. You can find more information about the campaign on the school website for accompanying research.

About the University School Dresden

Dresden University School is a joint project of the state capital Dresden and the TUD Dresden University of Technology. It is a public and free community school run by the city, where innovative forms of teaching and learning are tested under scientific supervision. In addition, it is a training school for future teachers and, in the future, a further education school for teachers. The school trial is being scientifically supported by the ForUS research center at TU Dresden.

Information on the research project at TU Dresden: https: //tu-dresden.de/gsw/unischule
Information on the Dresden University School: http://universitaetsschule.org

You can find insights into the research project and everyday school life on various social media channels under @unischuleTUD: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. News from the University School Dresden project is regularly published in the GSW newsletter.