College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research has started

Education is complex and formed by many influences like origin, school system, or economic preconditions. To research educational processes better, cooperation between different disciplines is called for, something that does not happen often enough. A newly founded College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research will close this gap and has begun its work under the coordination of the WZB.

The college is aimed at promoting postdocs from sociology, economics, psychology, and pedagogy, who conduct empirical educational research and thereby wish to go beyond the borders of their own disciplines. In March 2013, the college will open to 30 fellows: They will be supported by experienced researchers during project development and can exchange ideas regularly in workshops. Besides investigation of competence development and returns to education, work that pursues the question of whether educational success is possible in spite of adverse circumstances, will also be promoted.

The college is funded by the Jacobs Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research for the first three and a half years. Besides the WZB, five other Leibniz Institutes are participating: the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF), GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, IPN Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, as well as the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW).

Further information:  www.ciderweb.org