Dr. Claudia Nickel

School support associations: strong partners for vibrant schools

Parents, educational professionals, young people, and school leaders want to help shape their school. School support associations channel this engagement and turn it into concrete support. Dr. Claudia Nickel demonstrates how their potential can be harnessed for partnerships in her presentation at SCHULBAU Berlin, “School Support Associations as Strong and Flexible Partners.”

The focus is on how civic engagement can enrich schools and local educational landscapes. Support associations advocate for participation and equal opportunity, act flexibly, and provide unbureaucratic support. They bring together people with different experiences and skills who share a common goal: commitment to education. The presentation shows how these strengths can be used to shape schools collaboratively and develop local partnerships.

Claudia Nickel is Executive Director of the Regional Association of Daycare and School Support Associations Berlin-Brandenburg e. V. and a member of the Board of Trustees of Stiftung Bildung. She represents the interests of civic educational engagement to policymakers, education authorities, and the public. She also shares knowledge for successful association practice in regular seminars.

Her contribution invites stakeholders to involve school support associations as active partners and make greater use of their potential for shaping schools.