Extended Responsibilities of the Local Authorities in the School Sector

In the past the Länder had the sole operational and financial responsibility for the school sector while the local authorities were tasked with the “technical” school matters. Since the early 2000, alarmed by the findings of the OECD’s PISA studies, the federal government has financially intervened in the school sector, inter alia, by promoting all-day schools and, since 2017, the digitization of the schools. Against this backdrop the local authorities have widened their responsibilities and activities to improve the digital and educational performance of the schools. Local “education landscapes” has been formed to mobilize a broad range of local level education-related public/municipal and non-public actors and organizations.