After training and practice as teacher in main stream and special schools, Dr. Klauer studied psychology at the University of Mainz where he received the degree of Dr. phil. in 1958. Follwing this, he was appointed lecturer at the Department of Special Education of the Teachers' College of Cologne. In 1993 he was appointed professor for the education of the learning disabled children at this institution. During this time he had the opportunity of a postdoctoral graduation  (the German "Habilitation" for Educational Psychology) at the University of Düsseldorf. In 1968 he accepted an offer to move at the University of Braunschweig as professor of education and to found a Department of Education there. Eight years later he accepted the invitation of the University of Aachen to move at this university, also in the position of a professor of education and director of the Department of Education. He refused invitations to move to the University of Cologne (two times), to the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and to the University of Munich.

He specializes in instructional design theory, criterion-referenced measurement, special education, and research in cognitive training. More then 180 publications deal with research in problems of these kinds.