“Abilities of Students from Private and State Schools in Germany”, Lars Hoffmann, Petra Stanat, Kai Maaz, Klaus Klemm2019-10-28 (IQ)⁠:

The growing number of private schools in Germany is currently a subject of controversy. For example, it is feared that private schools strengthen the social disparities in Germany’s educational system and that they could develop into elitist institutions.

Based on nationwide data from the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) Educational Trends Study 2015 & 2016 for the end of the 4^th and 9^th grades (n_{Private schools} = 93 & 39, n_state schools = 1,231 & 1,356 respectively), it was determined to what extent advantages in average abilities achieved in the subjects German, English, and mathematics are attributed to private schools and what the causes could be.

Possible reasons for existing group differences were statistically evaluated with the aid of propensity score matching.

Taken as a whole, the results did not prove that private schools are more efficient than state schools. Without considering relevant covariates, performance advantages in favor of private schools can be found. Statistically, however, these advantages can be almost entirely ascribed to the student selectivity of private schools and the accompanying composition effects.

[Keywords: private schools, state schools, comparison of achievement, IQB-Educational Trends Study, propensity-score-matching]

See Also:

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• Effects of elite high schools on university enrolment and field of study choice

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• The Causal Effects of Education on Health, Mortality, Cognition, Well-being, and Income in the UK Biobank