A group of school pupils of different ages equipped with tablets sit in groups or on their own in various rooms, working on projects, offering mutual support or conferring with education specialists. Is this what the classroom of the 21^st century looks like? Scientists at TU Dresden and school teachers seek to explore this question and contribute to school development. They will research and test how schooling can address new societal challenges. The core objectives are to actively involve all pupils, include pupils with disabilities and integrate pupils with different native languages and who come from different cultures. “We will be rethinking schools as an institution from the perspective of the individual student so that we can guide each and every one on their own path to success. Teaching and school organization will both be assisted by digital tools. We will scientifically analyze individual processes and the way the school operates in order to make the right recommendations for adapting schooling practices,” explains Prof. Anke Langner, Initiator of the University School Dresden. “The University School Dresden has been established as a pilot project. We want to develop, test and analyze innovative forms of teaching, learning and coexistence. The University School provides the opportunity both to envision the school of the future and to test novel concepts based on an academic foundation in a practical setting.”

Aside from Prof. Anke Langner, the project engages Prof. Thomas Köhler, Prof. Manuela Niethammer, Prof. Rolf Koerber, Dr. Michael Hecht (Faculty of Education), Dr. Patricia Schwarz (Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra in Meißen) and other educators and researchers. “Since the responsible education and funding body still remains to be sorted, we, the initiators, have founded an association that can assume the responsibilities of a school board at any time,” says Prof. Anke Langner. “Our goal is for pupils in grades 1–6 to be able to go to school and learn together here starting from the 2018/19 school year.” The University School receives funding from the City of Dresden. The Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (SMK) and the Saxon State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB) have assisted with the founding of the school. The City of Dresden also lent its support in finding a location for the school.

The University School will serve as a primary and secondary school as well as a research and training school. This marks the first time that structures are put in place which enable active school planning in collaboration with academia as well as a practical school environment where academic research can take place at the same time. “We are particularly interested in how all pupils can learn successfully despite differing points of entry,” says Prof. Anke Langner. The pedagogical methods used and the students’ individual paths of learning are traced in detail at the school. The education specialists at the school then evaluate and process the findings and use them to shape future lessons and educational practices. The data is also analyzed by researchers to gain definitive insight into elements such as the effectiveness of teaching materials.

Research conducted at the University School Dresden crucially contributes to education research in the rest of Saxony and across Germany. Issues of integration and inclusion have previously only been addressed piecemeal and not systematically. There is a lack of long-term studies and especially reliable quantitative data on the effectiveness of school in view of inclusion, integration and new digital teaching and learning tools. Until now, findings from school visits have been summarized, but pupils’ individual paths of development have not yet been traced for analysis. This is essential for gaining a better understanding of how students can best be supported in their learning. It is precisely here that the work of the researchers at TU Dresden, of the education specialists and of everyone else involved in the University School Dresden begins.