Evaluation commission confirms university school's high level of innovation - and calls for sustainable structures

Innovative concepts: new school building, school management

At the 4th meeting since the committee was founded, an innovative architectural concept for the new school building for the growing student body was presented. The committee discussed the fit between school life, pedagogy and didactics as well as architecture.

The concept of an extended school management team, which has been implemented since the 2024/25 school year, was also presented and discussed. The management structures are designed as a flat hierarchy with those responsible for central areas of activity that result directly from the school's educational concept. The next step is the implementation of further central topics for the school organization in close cooperation between the extended school management and the academic management.

Comparability of research data

Another point of discussion was the frequently asked question about the comparability of the learning achievements of students at Dresden University School with those of other schools in Dresden and Saxony. The central question here was under what conditions and for which research questions comparability is possible.

Renewed appeal to the "Dresden University School community of responsibility"

As in previous years, the report highlights three areas in which there is an ongoing and urgent need for action: The first is the new learning building for the growing school community from 2027/28 with planning that meets actual needs. This should continue to enable the established learning culture at USD in terms of room planning and furnishings.

The committee also considers it equally urgent to clarify the necessary basic funding of the research center by TU Dresden, while at the same time profiling research and continuing conceptual work on a third-party funding strategy. Since its foundation in 2022, the research center has been able to obtain funding for its employees from the Free State of Saxony, albeit for a limited period of two years. These resources have already been used intensively for publications and other successful third-party funding applications. To ensure the successful continuation of this work, the Structure and Evaluation Commission believes that the basic funding for accompanying research and coordinative tasks should be made permanent, as is the case for comparable institutions in Bielefeld and Cologne.

A final appeal concerns the implementation of digitalization at the school in coordination with the city of Dresden. The digitization concept developed and implemented by the school is now widely known through the publications on the university school. Currently, a large part of the maintenance work on 800 school laptops in a digitally supported school is carried out by the PITKos (Pedagogical IT Coordination). This ties up resources that the teachers should actually be using for the pupils.

About the Structure and Evaluation Commission

Since 2020, the Dresden University School pilot project has been supported by a structure and evaluation commission in the process of school development and research. The committee of is now presenting its fourth report.

Find more information on the work of the Structure and Evaluation Commission and download all reports on the project website, as well as a list of the commission members of renowned educational scientists and experienced practitioners.

About the University School Dresden

The University School Dresden is a joint project of the state capital Dresden and the Technical University. It is a public and free community school run by the city, where innovative forms of teaching and learning are tested under academic supervision. In addition, it is a training school for future teachers and, in the future, a further education school for teachers. The school trial is being scientifically supported by the ForUS research center at TU Dresden.

    Information on the research project at TU Dresden: https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/unischule
    Information on the Dresden University School: https://universitaetsschule.org

You can find insights into the research project and everyday school life on various social media channels under @unischuleTUD. Follow the links to the University School Dresden on Facebook, X-Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. You can also regularly read news from the Dresden University School project in the Newsletter from the Humanities and Social Sciences Division.