Public Sector, Education & Research

Munich – September 13, 2026 -- Germans estimate a school year for a child in a low-income country costs 320 euros on average, more than 74% above actual figures ranging from 35 to 183 euros across five surveyed nations, according to a forsa poll commissioned by the ChildInvest Foundation.

91% of Germans rank education as the most effective lever to improve children's lives globally

The representative survey of 1,524 adults, conducted by forsa in April 2026, found 91% of respondents view education as a highly effective tool for long-term improvement in children's living conditions worldwide. Protection from violence, exploitation and child labor, along with improved healthcare and nutrition, each drew 88% approval, showing consensus across age, gender and income brackets.

Berlin/Magdeburg – September 13, 2026 -- Germany's six leading welfare umbrella associations, representing more than 5 million volunteers and paid staff nationwide, issued a joint pledge to defend human dignity and social cohesion following the state election results in Saxony-Anhalt.

BAGFW President Warns Against Election-Driven Discrimination

Achim Meyer auf der Heyde, president of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW), said the organization stands with anyone threatened by exclusion, hostility or discrimination, regardless of election outcomes or shifting political majorities.

Berlin – September 13, 2026 -- Schule Global, the German intercultural education initiative, has enrolled its 100th member institution, admitting Humboldt-Realschule Bönen into its nationwide network.

Humboldt-Realschule Bönen becomes the 100th school in Schule Global's network

The school has maintained a partnership with Indonesia since 2018, intensifying ties through exchange trips starting in 2022. By joining Schule Global, the school aims to expand this Indonesia partnership and integrate global education more deeply into curricula and daily school life.

Dahlem-Marienau – September 13, 2026 -- One in four 15-year-olds in Germany now fails to meet basic science competency standards, according to the newly released PISA 2026 study, which recorded the country's worst results since the assessment began. In response, private boarding school Schule Marienau in Lower Saxony is investing roughly €800,000 in a new STEM facility designed to reverse the decline in scientific literacy among students.

PISA 2026 data show only 10% of German students rank as high performers in science

The study found science performance at an all-time low nationally, with the top-performing segment stagnant while the broader student base loses ground. Marienau's leadership frames the results as a structural problem rather than statistical noise, arguing that schools have shifted too far from applied, problem-solving education toward rote knowledge transfer.

Berlin – September 13, 2026 -- German Education Minister Karin Prien is preparing cabinet proposals for an age restriction on social media platforms, citing a direct link between screen time and Germany's weak PISA test results.

Prien ties declining literacy to social media use

Speaking on rbb24 Inforadio on Wednesday, the CDU politician said children's shrinking attention spans, lack of endurance, and inability to read for comprehension are connected to social media and screen time. She argued the digital and AI era demands stronger safeguards against declining critical thinking among students.

Cabinet proposal expected within weeks

Prien confirmed she will present concrete legislative proposals to the German cabinet in the coming weeks, combining an age restriction with expanded media literacy education in schools.

Los Angeles – September 13, 2026 -- Changing Perspectives, a national non-profit focused on K-12 inclusion, will be featured on "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," with filming scheduled for September 13, 2026, according to a production announcement.

Broadcast targets systemic gaps in special education resourcing

The segment examines how schools use qualitative and quantitative metrics to identify institutional needs and address shortages in special education support. Traditional rigid classroom models struggle to support varied cognitive, behavioral, and communication profiles, according to the organization, leaving reactive, siloed interventions in place of proactive institutional design.

Wiesbaden – September 13, 2026 -- Germany's youth welfare authorities granted 174,000 integration assistance measures for children and young adults with mental disabilities in 2024, more than double the 80,800 recorded in 2014, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Spending on integration aid triples to €3.5 billion in a decade

Federal, state and municipal expenditure on these measures for minors reached €3.5 billion in 2024, up from €1.1 billion in 2014. Their share of total child and youth welfare spending on individual and group assistance rose from 8% to 12% over the same period. Overall child and youth welfare spending climbed 108% to €78.8 billion between 2014 and 2024.

Frederick, Md. – September 13, 2026 -- PeerTrust has launched a public researcher due-diligence service, PeerTrust.Report, that flags anomalies in citation records used by universities, research funders, insurers and science investors to make hiring, funding and partnership decisions.

Know Your Scientist tool screens for three citation anomaly types

The new Know Your Scientist (KYS) module examines coauthor network concentration, reciprocal citation relationships, and abrupt publication velocity changes. PeerTrust weighs these signals into an evidence-based report intended for human review rather than automated verdicts. An unusual pattern does not constitute a finding of misconduct, as legitimate factors such as consortium publishing or rapid team growth can also generate anomalies.

Littleton, Colo. – September 13, 2026 -- Dr. Angie Paccione, Chief Impact Officer of Verus Global, has been named a Pinnacle Professional of The Year by The Inner Circle for her work in transformational leadership, education advocacy and global impact.

Paccione leads leadership programs for Fortune 300 clients through Verus Global

In her role at Verus Global, Paccione designs and delivers large-scale executive coaching and culture-transformation initiatives for Fortune 300 companies and global organizations across multiple continents. Her programs focus on leadership alignment, executive facilitation and activating workforce potential to drive measurable performance results.

San Diego – September 13, 2026 -- Regpack, an online registration and payment platform, has launched Program Insights, a real-time dashboard that tracks enrollment and family retention while a program season is still underway.

Dashboard tracks enrollment fill rates and returning families in real time

Program Insights lets directors watch enrollment percentages populate by class as sign-ups come in, identify which sessions are nearing capacity, and see which families from the previous season have re-enrolled and which have not.

Tool flags exact drop-off points in registration forms

The platform identifies where prospective participants abandon the sign-up process. If a class loses most of its interest at a specific step, that step becomes visible, allowing directors to adjust the form, wording, or pricing and measure whether subsequent sign-up groups complete registration.