This policy profile on education in the Netherlands is part of the new Education Policy Outlook series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Building on the substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base available…

To reduce the multiplicity of secondary schools, broaden students' educations, allow later career choices, and increase educational equality, the Netherlands in 1975 established several experimental comprehensive secondary schools. Opposition at the time led to the separation of the schools from the regular school system. Development of the…

Based on case studies of a Dutch adult-education organization and an Irish residential center for mentally handicapped people, this article discusses some implementation dilemmas that occur when organizations face challenging innovations. Conflicting pressures for centralization and local autonomy in implementation activities and for unified and…

Describes a study that evaluated implementation of curriculum materials for secondary social studies in the Netherlands. The evaluation focused on individual teachers' actual use of these materials in their classrooms. A large discrepancy emerged between the curriculum developers' original intentions and the observed instructional processes.…

This paper assesses how three schools' change capacity influenced the implementation of school reform, specifically Basic education, a renewed curriculum in the first phase of secondary education. It reports on a study that examined the relationship between the characteristics of Dutch schools and their staff, the actual use of change capacity…

This paper summarizes a survey of Dutch junior secondary schools which was conducted to measure their adoption of the "information and computer literacy" (ICL) concept, and to investigate how far the implementation factors identified by Fullan (1982) are consistent with this innovation. The study's objectives were twofold: (1) to collect…

Discussion of the integration and implementation of computers into schools focuses on three case studies of secondary schools in The Netherlands, and how computers have influenced their curriculum. A national plan for computer use in schools in The Netherlands is described, and factors influencing implementation are examined. (28 references) (LRW)

Discussion of the Dutch Technology-Enriched School (TES) project highlights teacher involvement, including teacher attitudes; development versus controlled research; characteristics of the TES project, including collaboration with university researchers; and the progressive broadening implementation strategy, i.e., implementing computers in…

Discusses the Technology Enriched Schools Project (TESP) in the Netherlands that was developed to stimulate the use of computers in secondary education and describes efforts to integrate computers into all curriculum areas in two pilot schools. Inservice training is described, and results of teacher questionnaires regarding computer implementation…

Focusing on the development of autonomous secondary schools in the Netherlands, this paper analyzes a Dutch plan for such schools, poses questions, and makes suggestions concerning the plan's implementation. Although requested to identify the characteristics of needed internal support structures (such as counseling or supplementary training for…

This article summarizes recent information on the changing role of professional guidance and the linkages between different services in the Netherlands. The article is organized in three sections. Section 1 highlights some fundamental characteristics of the Dutch educational system. Section 2 examines the structure of the existing guidance…

This report describes educational and vocational guidance services for adolescents and young adults in Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Netherlands. It is drawn from a larger study that was conducted to compare the nature and size of guidance services, their staffing and funding, the identity of their clients, and in particular,…

This second article in a two-part series on telecommunications in secondary schools examines strategies for better support of telecommunications implementation. Highlights include management strategies for CMC (computer-mediated communication) use; instructional strategies for online database inquiries; teacher support strategies; simulation…

A program designed to help teachers in the Netherlands put a form of mixed ability teaching into practice was evaluated for its implementation and effects. Implemented with 14-year-old students, the program consisted of whole class instruction by teachers, followed by guidance of small groups and individuals. Cooperative learning in small groups,…

Describes the conceptual framework for an urban Montessori high school in Holland in 1945. Includes information on implementing fundamental Montessori principles, scheduling, materials, organization of subject matter, use of group mentors, and democracy in school. Focuses on how the school increases adolescents' moral strength with living and…