2017 education reform

Freedom for schools, transparency for the system, model regions for education as a whole

Our pupils have different strengths, talents and needs. Every child and school community is unique. The regional environment for schools also varies. Our school system must take account of these different requirements and needs. This can only succeed if teachers and school leaders have greater scope for action. The Autonomy Package (Autonomiepaket) will create this scope through educational, organisational and personal freedoms.

For each school to exercise individual freedom, careful background quality control will be required to ensure pupils get the best education. This should be ensured through systematic education monitoring and external evaluation of schools based on a uniform quality framework.

Reorganisation into a common, standardised education authority, the Board of Education, will ensure transparent and effective school administration.

The Education Reform Act (Bildungsreformgesetz) was passed by the National Council on 28 June 2017 and published on 15 September 2017.

The education reform affects all 5,800 Austrian schools and their 1,124,633 pupils, their parents, and 126,229 teachers.

Education reform objectives

• Maximum educational scope in each individual school to generate innovative educational services, whilst simultaneously safeguarding planning and resources.
• Facilitation of regional educational concepts in which school profiles are sensibly coordinated and pupils have the best possible transition experience.
• Better qualified head teachers and further and continuing education geared to the needs of teachers at the school in question.
• Increased transparency and improved school system management through a common, standardised Federal Government and federal state education authority.
• Directed quality development through improved quality management and standardised educational evaluation.

Links

• Autonomy Package (in German only)
• Boards of Education 
• School autonomy blog (in German only)

Downloads

• Bildungsreformgesetz 2017 (BGBl. I Nr. 138/2017) (2017 Education Reform Act, Fed. Gaz. I No. 138/2017) (in German only)
• In-Kraft-Treten wichtiger Maßnahmen der Bildungsreform (Entry into force of important educational reform measures) (in German only)
• Erläuterungen (Notes) (in German only)
• Bildungsreform im Überblick (Overview of education reform) (in German only)
• Zusatzthemen der Bildungsreform (Supplementary education reform topics) (in German only) 
• Steuerung des Schulsystems in Österreich – Weißbuch (Governance of the Austrian school system – white paper) (in German only)
• Schulleitungsprofil (School leadership profile) (in German only)