QUILB

QUILB - Quality Initiative for Learning Disabilities - Promoting basic skills and achieving minimum standards

Around a quarter of all pupils fail to meet the minimum standards in the basic skills of reading, writing and maths. Pupils with learning disabilities are particularly affected. In addition, educational success in Germany is still heavily dependent on social background, which is why there is a particular need for systematic support for weaker learners.

The cooperative transfer project "Quality Initiative for Learning Disabilities" (QUILB) therefore pursues the following medium to long-term goals: 1) promoting the basic skills of pupils in German and maths, 2) increasing the proportion of pupils who achieve minimum standards, 3) reducing the social educational gradient (increasing educational equity), 4) supporting the return of pupils with special educational needs to inclusive schools.
In the current project phase, the focus is on promoting reading skills. In later phases, the areas of writing and maths will also be included.

The project is characterised by close cooperation between university and school, in which empirical and theoretical findings are continuously linked with practical school considerations. The project partners are twelve Startchancen special schools from the administrative district of Düsseldorf.
Specifically, the project involves the formation of so-called multiplier teams in the individual schools. These teams work with the university on diagnostic and support methods in an iterative process that is structured as follows:

1. Joint evaluation of the methods with regard to their practical suitability and identification of optimisation requirements
2. Revision and further development of the methods by the university
3. Joint evaluation of the revised methods

This iterative process of needs analysis and reflection as well as subsequent adaptation and optimisation (conception phase) is continued until all participants approve the results. After approval, the multipliers will be further qualified by the university (qualification phase) so that they can carry out further training on the methods in their schools.

Project management
Prof Dr Michael Grosche
Dr Jacquelin Kluge Brück

Project collaborator (University of Wuppertal)
Svena Steinbrecher

Cooperation partners
Twelve special schools from the Düsseldorf administrative district

Funding
The participating special schools finance the project via their Startchancen budget.

Duration
since 01/06/2026