KMK Appoints two IPN Directors to the Standing Scientific Commission

Today Prof. Dr. Olaf Köller, Managing Director of Research of the IPN, and Prof. Dr. Susanne Prediger, Deputy Director of the IPN Department of Research on Knowledge Transfer, were appointed to the independent “Standing Scientific Commission” of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of Germany (KMK). This commission is created on a federal agreement concerning the basic structure of the school system and the overall responsibility of the states in central questions of educational policy.

The KMK's Standing Scientific Commission is mandated to advise the states on issues related to the further development of the education system and how to deal with its challenges, as well as providing specific recommendations. Its work adopts an interdisciplinary, longer-term, systemic perspective along the educational lifespan and recommendations are published.

The Standing Scientific Commission of the KMK consists of 16 members, twelve appointed members and four other members already having taken on tasks in the past to ensure and enhance quality in education. Köller and Prediger, like the other twelve members named, were appointed for a period of three years, a period that can then be extended by another three years.

Prof. Dr. Olaf Köller: "I am excited about the appointment and look forward to working on the commission. The establishment of the KMK's Standing Scientific Commission will increase the quality and transparency of education. In my view, the commission's initial goals should be developing future-oriented strategies regarding the use of digital media in schools, and launching measures in the education system that will allow us to reduce disparities associated with family background."