Do Teachers Have Different Opinions on Education Policy to the General Population? Results of the Ifo Education Barometer 2016

Teachers hold fundamentally different opinions on education policy to the general public in some areas, according to this year's Ifo Education Barometer, which surveyed the German population on its opinion of education policy issues for the third time. Unlike the overall population, the majority of teachers are in favour of paying themselves higher wages and granting themselves a civil servant status, but the majority rejects the all-day school system, teaching children with learning difficulties in normal schools, the employment of career-switchers as teachers and bonuses for learning progress or in subjects where there is a lack of teachers. Interestingly, teachers rate schools nationwide more poorly than the overall population, but give their local schools higher ratings. However, there are also areas in which opinions overlap such as, for example, a majority in favour of entrance examinations for teachers, nationwide comparative tests, the free structuring of lessons, independent staff recruitment by head teachers, delaying tracking into secondary education until the sixth class, as well as overlaps in education policy questions beyond the school system.