The German School Barometer

As of April 2024, nearly half of all teachers report that physical or psychological violence among students is a problem at their school. The survey also reveals that such violence significantly increases teachers’ risk of burnout and stress. More than one-third of teachers feel emotionally exhausted several times a week — especially younger teachers, women, and those working in elementary schools. Despite high overall job satisfaction, more than a quarter of teachers say they would leave the profession if given the opportunity.

Teachers report behavioral problems among pupils and an increase in child poverty in June 2023 The majority of part-time teachers are willing to increase their working hours under certain conditions and are calling for reforms to achieve this. Teachers point out the need for improvement in the realization of an inclusive education system and with regard to the expansion of (digital) infrastructure.

The effects of the pandemic, coupled with the shortage of skilled workers and the recent refugee movement, pose massive challenges for schools. The survey of teachers at general and vocational schools focused on the teachers' experience of professional stress, the consequences of the pandemic and observations of behavioral problems among pupils.

In the third edition of the German School Barometer Special, teachers' assessments of learning deficits and psychosocial problems among children and young people as a result of the pandemic were surveyed, among other things. For the first time, it was also recorded whether teachers work at a school in a socially disadvantaged area.

What have schools and teachers learned in nine months of the pandemic? How prepared are they for a return to remote and hybrid teaching? These questions were the focus of the second teacher survey just a few days before schools in Germany closed again across the board.

For the first German School Barometer Special, teachers were asked three weeks after the start of the first phase of nationwide school closures how they and their schools are coping with the new challenges, in particular how they are organizing distance learning and what short and long-term consequences they expect.