After high school, training as a journalist (traineeship) at the NRZ (Neue Rhein/Ruhr-Zeitung, newspaper) in Essen
Afterwards (until 1974) co-owner of an advertising agency in Dusseldorf
1974 to 1978: Studied to become a teacher in secondary education (Rheinland Teachers? College und University of Dusseldorf) with concentrations in German as a second language and English
1978 to 1980: Mandatory internship in a school in Dusseldorf (Second State Examination 1980)
1980 to 1982: Master of Education Program at the University of Essen (Master of Education 1982)
1987: Received doctorate as Dr. phil. in Hamburg with the thesis "Educational Goal: Bilingualism. Contours of a Language Teaching Concept for Multicultural Schools?
1991: Received postdoctoral lecture qualification from the Education Department of Hamburg University. Title of postdoctoral thesis: "The Monolingual Habitus of the Multilingual School"
1993 to 1998: First a member, then spokeswoman for the priority programme "FABER - Folgen der Arbeitsmigration für Bildung und Erziehung" (Consequences of Labor Migration for Education) of the Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
1994 to 1998: Member of the executive board of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (German Society of Educational Science), from1998 to 2002: President of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft
