IFS at the 7th Dortmund Science Conference “Education in Transition”

The 7th Dortmund Science Conference took place on July 9, 2025 under the motto “Education in Transition – Shaping the Future in Challenging Times” at the Dortmunder U. Together with many partners from Dortmund's science and education landscape, an exciting all-day program was offered.

The conference began with a keynote speech by Professor Ricarda Steinmayr on the topic “Is education a matter of luck?" Subjective well-being of students”. The IFS was involved in various formats: Professor Birgit Heppt gave an introductory talk on “Language education in the multilingual classroom: prerequisites and development perspectives”. As part of a poster gallery, the IFS presented several projects such as the “Progress in International Reading Literacy Study” (PIRLS), “Erasmus+”, “Educational Trajectories and Psychosocial Development in Adolescence and Young Adulthood” (BIJU) and "Shaping Language Education together with Elementary School, Families and Educational Professionals: What Works?" (SPEAK) and entered into an exchange with the conference participants. On the closing panel, Professor Nele McElvany, Director of the IFS, City Councillor Monika Nienaber-Willaredt, Head of the City of Dortmund's Schools Department, Professor Viola Hartung-Beck from Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, Matthias Labs, Gymnasium an der Schweizer Allee, Alma Tamborini, principal of Nordmarkt Primary School, and Ileyda Yılmaz, TalentScouting FH Dortmund participant, discussed the topic “Education in transition – shaping the future in Dortmund in challenging times”.

The conference provided a platform for exchanging views on current educational issues in the context of schools and enabled all participants to make valuable contacts. The event was open to all interested citizens, experts, educational stakeholders and network partners of the Science Masterplan.

Thank you for your participation and the stimulating exchange!