Kai Maaz

Kai Maaz is Managing Director of the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and Professor of Sociology (educational systems and society) at Goethe University Frankfurt. His work focuses on social inequality in education, systemic school reform, and educational monitoring. He leads the 'Structure and Governance of Education' department at DIPF and is a central figure in the National Education Panel Study (NEPS) and Startchancen program research.

• Executive Director, DIPF | Leibniz Institute
• Professor of Educational Sociology, Goethe University Frankfurt
• Chair, German Society for Educational Administration

Research interests include:

• Evaluation of educational reforms and programs
• Social disparities across educational trajectories
• School development in disadvantaged contexts
• Educational governance and policy implementation

Recent publications emphasize national educational reporting, digital transformation in schools, and structural interventions to reduce inequality. His 2025 articles in Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft analyze collaborative governance and occupational aspirations linked to social background.

Scientific awards:

• Ernst-Meumann Prize for Young Researchers (2010)
• Young Researchers Award for Educational Sociology (2008)

Advising roles include leadership in the Startchancen program research network, spokesperson for the National Education Report author group, and membership in the Standing Scientific Commission of the Conference of Ministers of Education. His work spans policy evaluation, data synthesis, and longitudinal studies on educational equity.