Education is increasingly finding itself in a “field of tension due to changing framework conditions”. 34.

The research question on control processes in the context of cooperation between youth welfare and schools is therefore accompanied by a variety of societal, social and educational context factors. Securing the workforce volume as well as promoting social participation and equal opportunities35are probably the most central topics in current education policy debates.

The current chapter serves to outline these developments. The following sections first outline the conditions and consequences of demographic change and the associated economic consequences .

The selection mechanisms of the German education system and the associated social inequality are then discussed . In congruence with this, it is then shown what importance (early childhood) transition phases have in the context of lifelong learning .

This is followed by a presentation of the scientific and educational policy developments. This explains which understanding of education is currently assumed politically and scientifically and which educational policy developments are being sought .

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