The importance of high-quality early education

Approximately 50 % to 80 % of achievement gaps in primary school can be attributed to preschool age (Skopek & Passaretta, 2021). It is assumed that high-quality early education has a lasting positive impact on children's development (Anders & Roßbach, 2019) and is thus the best prerequisite for a successful transition from the preschool to primary school.

Cooperation between preschools and primary schools

The connectivity of early education in preschools and education in primary schools is a central prerequisite for good promotion of children's competencies (Anders et al., 2013). On a structural level, cooperation is complicated since preschools are embedded in the system of child and youth welfare, while primary schools are institutions of the education system. As a result, the two systems are generally not interlinked and educational activities are rarely coordinated.

Common understanding of education and leadership in a network

Successful cooperation can be achieved through a shared understanding of education and leadership. The joint work of preschools and primary schools is supported within the framework of the training "Leading preschools and schools in a network

 - Cooperation Project of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Landesinstitut für Schule in Bremen". The concept of the training is that the institutions develop, initiate, and implement a specific development project in a participatory manner with all stakeholders at the participating institutions. The training supports this process by strengthening the competencies about the initiation and stabilization of pedagogical processes, the further development of the personal leadership potential, as well as the development of a common understanding of leadership considering different leadership styles in the network.

Implementation of the development projects over time

The monitoring by the chair of “Early Childhood Education” of the Otto-Friedrich-University of Bamberg aims to examine the implementation of the development projects in the networks over time. In the sense of the training "leading preschools and schools in a network”, the focus is on the cooperation of the network partners as well as the initiation and implementation of the development projects depending on the initial situation.

Continuous feedback to networks

The monitoring continuously reports results back to the practice partners and thus underpins and supports the implementation of the development projects in the network. In addition, the monitoring examines how the modules of the training and the accompanying elements are perceived and evaluated by the practice partners. For each individual network, the achievement of the local goals of the development project is continuously analyzed in conjunction with the overriding goals of the training.

Results for practical transfer

The results of the monitoring will be prepared for the practical transfer in coordination with the practice partners. The knowledge generated and the practical materials developed enable successful cooperation between preschools and primary schools and thus contribute to sustainable quality development.

The integration of preschools and primary schools can succeed by means of compatible pedagogical convictions. Empirically based monitoring is essential for the evidence-based further development of cooperation at the interface between the educational institutions of preschools and primary schools.

August 2023 to November 2025

The monitoring of the training "Leading preschools and schools in a network" is funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung

Prof. Dr. Yvonne Anders (Project Management)

E-mail: yvonne.anders@uni-bamberg.de

Sabine Blaurock, M.A. (project assistant)

E-Mail: sabine.blaurock@uni-bamberg.de

Sebastian Then, M.A. (project assistant)

E-mail: sebastian.then@uni-bamberg.de

Ariane Pickhardt (student assistant)

Sandra Hartmann (student assistant)