Some headlines of the Dutch Education System:
Rich panorama of different pedagogical movements in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is known for their rich panorama of pedagogical movements in schools. Like Montessori, Dalton & Waldorf Schools, as well as schools of the new (or old) natural learning philosophy. The VBS represents a huge amount of schools which exist on the ground of their pedagogical vision.
History of equal finance of public and independent schools
Since a change in the Constitutional law in 1917 independent schools receive the same public finance for setting up schools. This is the so called article 23 of the Dutch Constitution, the grounding article of freedom in education in the Netherlands. Moreover, even attendees of specific religious schools, like katholic, protestant or islamitic, get a compensation fee to travel to their school. At present the schooling budget is rated by a lump sum, one sum pro child per school. There is a regulation to rate some lump sums higher, especially for children who are indicated to receive special education, and from children where we know from that their parents have received less then a minimal level, by example only primary or only secondary education. This was an important step to step back from the more discriminating color of your skin method (extra lump sum for '''non-dutch''' children), because education of parents by far predicts the educational results of pupils better.
Independency of public schools from local authoritys
More information about the - for outsiders remarkable - development of public school boards getting independent of municipalities. Almost 60% of the boards of public schools in the Netherlands (around 31% of all the schools are public) are not any more a public institution like the municipiality.
Dutch program on betatechnique in education
Started in 2003, a nation wide program to support technigue in education has already led to concrete and huge results in attendentships of students to technical studies. You can find a summary here. And here a summary by Jozef Kok & Carlijn Schendstok from the national auditing committee.
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