Poland as a role model for Austria

While Austria still occupies a middling position in the Pisa study, Poland has leapt from the bottom of the ranking to a leading position as far as the reading skills of 15-year-olds are concerned. According to Alexandra Föderl-Schmid, Austria should follow Poland's example: "Poland implemented an education reform in 2000. One element was that the age at which students are allocated to different types of school was raised from 15 to 16 years. ... This should provide food for thought to all those who strongly oppose the idea of the Neue Mittelschule (standardised school). The Pisa study provides a further argument: the international comparison demonstrates once more that parents play a key role in the performance of their children. The children of university graduates tend to perform better. With regards to Austria, the OECD points to the fact that the sooner children are sent to different types of schools, the greater impact family background has on a pupil's performance. This is another reason to at least try out the Neue Mittelschule concept."

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