The student body is becoming increasingly diverse in several ways

The composition of the student body is becoming increasingly diverse in several respects. The number of students with a migrant background as well as those of lateral entry students is increasing. This is shown by a broad analysis of the results of educational standard reviews in recent years – although the most recent survey evaluated is already six years old. At the same time, longer kindergarten attendance and better mathematics test results were also recorded.

Six years ago, a consortium made up of the Vienna Chamber of Labor, the ÖGB, the Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Industrialists, the Red Cross, Caritas and the Samaritan Association initiated a study on “Migration and Multilingualism in Austrian Schools”. At that time, the topic was to be examined scientifically using the 2012 educational standard reviews for the fourth grade AHS/middle school. The situation was now analyzed five years later using the 2017 standard reviews and the results were presented on Monday.

Accordingly, the student population is increasingly characterized by migration and a growing diversity of countries of origin. While in 2012 75 percent of students had two parents born in Austria, in 2017 this was only 68 percent. At the same time, among the growing number of young people with their own or parents’ migration background, the proportion of “lateral entrants” (immigrated after the age of 6, note) also increased in all federal states – from 40 percent to 43 percent of all students born abroad .

Accordingly, the proportion of students with a first language other than German increased from 24 to 29 percent. This development could be observed in all federal states.

At the same time, the number of children who had attended kindergarten for three or more years also increased – from 41 to 49 percent. This development could be observed in almost all groups of origin, but also depended heavily on the supply structures in the students’ country of origin or federal state.

Demand for a consistent didactic language support concept

The mathematics test results in the standard examinations have improved slightly. However, the performance gaps between the language groups showed similar patterns and rankings as in 2012.

In response to the results, the organizations are calling, among other things, for a consistent didactic language support concept and the deployment of language education coordinators at each school location to support teachers. This is intended to support educators in integrating multilingualism in lessons, as the head of the education department at the Vienna Chamber of Labor, Ilkim Erdost, explained.

German support measures should be able to be designed autonomously by schools without extensive separation from the regular class and first language teaching should be expanded. In teacher training, language education, multilingualism and cultural reflection should be anchored as mandatory core areas. In addition, the profession should be opened up to people with a migrant background and made more attractive. In the kindergarten sector, more free offers and better care ratios are needed, and in schools a social index through which locations with particular challenges receive more resources.

Gudrun Feucht, head of the Education & Society department at the Industrial Association, added that for a business location that relies heavily on exports, multilingualism is a special resource “that absolutely needs to be used better.” Melina Schneider, head of the education policy department at the WKÖ, emphasized that the “foundation for all later educational success” is laid in elementary educational institutions. Alexander Prischl from the ÖGB also said that effective language support must begin early in kindergarten and be continued continuously in school.

Katharina Albrecher from the Youth Red Cross pleaded for relief for teachers (e.g. through administrative staff and external experts). Caritas Austria General Secretary Anna Parr referred to the importance of extracurricular offerings such as the Caritas learning cafes, which would provide greater financial support. Birgit Greifeneder, head of the Samaritan Association’s LernLEOS, pointed out the need for multilingual advisory services outside of school.