children as young as kindergarten students, that children take after their parents. They emulate their language, their way of dressing, their way of spending their free time. Kids from Neukölln [a poor neighbourhood] would not feel good about themselves if they had to attend a type of school that mainly serves students from social classes different from their own. They will not be able to integrate. Every field day, every school party will show that." He also said "this kind of policy would weaken the gymnasium" and that this would be dangerous because "German society could not afford to do without the excellence the gymnasium produces." Stefan Zillich answered this, saying that "German society [cannot] afford to have so few adults with a world-class education." The Berlin Gymnasium lottery In 2009, the Senate of Berlin decided that Berlin's gymnasium should no longer be allowed to handpick all of their students. It was ruled that while gymnasia should be able to pick 70% to 65% of their students, the other places are to be allocated by lottery. Every child will be able to enter the lottery, no matter how the child performed in primary school. It is hoped that this policy will increase the number of working-class students attending gymnasium. The Left Party proposed that Berlin gymnasia should no longer be allowed to expel students who perform poorly, so that the students who won a gymnasium place in the lottery have a fair chance of graduating from that school. It is not clear yet whether the Berlin Senate will decide in favour of The Left Party's proposal. See also Grammar schools debate Gymnasium (school) List of schools in Germany :de:Abitur nach der zw%C3%B6lften Jahrgangsstufe References Further reading Matthew Arnold, Higher Schools and Universities in Germany, (second edition, London, 1882) Schrader, Erziehungs- und Unterrichtslehre für Gymnasien und Realschulen, (5th edition, Berlin, 1893) Paulsen, German Education, Past and Present, (translated by Lorenz, New York, 1908) A. Beier, Die höheren Schulen in Preußen und ihre Lehrer, (Halle, 1909) J. F. Brown, The Training of Teachers for Secondary Schools in Germany and the United States, (New York, 1911) External links Secondary education in Germany High schools and secondary schools