Annual Report

Discrimination on the Training Market: Extent, Causes and Recommended Actions.

Study | March 2014

Young people with a migration background have much worse odds of securing a training position even with the same qualifications. This is shown by a national correspondence test, which was conducted by the Expert Council's Research Unit as part of this study. The study examines the mechanisms of discrimination and issues recommendations for how companies, schools, civil society and policymakers can foster equal opportunity on the training market. One of the key issues is how diversity is handled in training companies which can be furthered by offering a "Cross-Cultural Skills" module in the professional qualification for trainers.

Immigrant Organisations and Cooperative Work with Parents: Potential, Structural Conditions, Development Opportunities.

Policy Brief | February 2014

Migrant organisations are important actors in non-school education because they act as intermediaries between educational institutions and parents with a migration background. Their potential, however, is not nearly fully exploited. The Policy Brief provides an overview of the structure of migrant organisations and their role in cooperative work with parents. It identifies overall conditions and approaches to further develop cooperative work with parents and recommends, among other things, strengthening the role of migrant organisations as providers of standard educational services.

European Refugee Policy: Pathways to Fairer Burden-Sharing.

Policy Brief | November 2013

The number of asylum-seekers in the EU is on the rise. This Policy Brief shows that several member states have seen a greater influx of refugees than others and that the EU is still far from offering a uniform protection level in all member states. The challenges of a common asylum policy are identified and it is shown that the EU lacks a mechanism for more equitable distribution of asylum-seekers across member states. The multi-factor model for fair burden sharing developed by the Expert Council’s Research Unit and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik - SWP) is presented as a solution. It takes into account economic strength, population, size of territory and unemployment rate of the EU member states and allows for a calculation of fair reception quotas for every country.

New Voters for the Bundestag: Potential Turnout Among Third Party Nationals in General Elections.

Policy Brief | August 2013

Immigrants from non-EU countries (third countries) living in Germany have enormous untapped potential as voters in the federal elections - one reason is that voting rights are tied to naturalisation. Do third party nationals want to participate politically and where is there need for action to increase their political participation? Based on an in-depth analysis of data from the Immigrant Citizens Survey, this Policy Brief analyses the interest of third country nationals in voting, their interest in naturalisation and their desire for parliamentary representation. The Expert Council’s Research Unit recommends a stronger push for naturalisation and greater emphasis on citizenship and voting rights.

School Segregation in Germany: The Extent, The Effects and Recommended Actions for Better Educational Opportunities

Study | July 2013

Segregation is no longer a marginal phenomenon at German schools, especially in urban areas.
One of its negative consequences is to limit the educational opportunities open to many of the country's young migrants. Desegregation, however, cannot be forced top-down. Instead, a set of
targeted measures holds more promise of success. Based expert interviews as well as international school effectiveness and school improvement literature this study develops recommendations for segregated schools: a whole-school approach to language training, needs-based school funding and continuous teacher training dedicated to diversity.

Obstacle Course to Day Care: Why Parents with a Migration Background are Less Likely to Send Their Children to Day Care.

Policy Brief | June 2013

Children with a migration background are less likely to attend day care than children without a migration background. At the same time, children from immigrant families can benefit enormously from attending day care. The Policy Brief examines the obstacles which keep parents from sending their child to day care and provides recommendations for how access barriers can be eliminated. Germany’s current incentives such as the childcare allowance in particular that give parents an additional motivation to keep their children at home are counter-productive for integration.

Muslims in Germany: Media Portrayal and Everyday Experiences.

Policy Brief | March 2013

Political and media debates are often confined to the ‘failed integration of Muslims’, thus painting a negative picture. This Policy Brief analyses how the native and migrant populations assess the media image of Muslims, to what extent there are differences in the perceptions of these two groups and what the repercussions of the negative media image are on social cohesion. The Policy Brief provides models for actions, e.g. to increase media coverage on Muslims in their regular day-to-day lives outside of much-emphasized problem contexts. The Policy Brief is based on an in-depth analysis of data from SVR's 2012 Integration Barometer.

Segregation at Primary Schools in Germany: The Effect of Parental Choice of School.

Policy Brief | November 2012

Parental choice of school has a significant impact on the segregation of young migrants in the Germany education system. In its Berlin case study, the Expert Council’s Research Unit shows that many native German families take active steps to circumvent the official (binding) assignment of primary schools. As a result one in five primary schools enrols twice as many migrant students than are found in its catchment area. Based on the analysis, the Policy Brief gives practical recommendations on how to improve educational opportunities at segregated schools, e.g. by intensifying parent-teacher collaboration, networking with external partners and continuous teacher training dedicated to diversity.

Parent-Teacher Collaboration: Taking Stock of the Cooperative Work between Schools and Parents.

To The Point | October 2012

(Only available in German)

Cooperative work with parents is becoming increasingly important as a pedagogical concept in Germany because the family background plays a strong role in the performance of children at school – particularly among children with a migration background. The information paper explains what is meant by cooperative work with parents, why it is gaining importance, who the target groups are and what is the focus of the content – with the aim of showing educational actors and parents how parents can effectively support the educational success of their children and how schools can lay the foundations.