Educational Change and Social Transformation: Teachers, Schools and Universities in Eastern Germany

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the East German educational system has undergone fundamental changes within the context of a vast restructuring of the economy, the political system, and the institutions of civil society. These changes affect the very core of what goes on in teaching and learning at schools and universities. First published in 1996, Educational Change and Social Transformation provides an account of the nature and extent of these changes from both a policy and a classroom perspective, showing how every facet of education—governance, curriculum, structure, and teaching—has been profoundly affected by the transformation of the social and political environment. The authors are a team of American and German researchers, some of whom have also been participant actors in the process of change that this book analyses. Their analysis should appeal to educational practitioners, policy makers, and researchers alike, as well as to those interested in better understanding the nature of the transformation that swept through Central and Eastern Europe.