The theoretical premise of this article is that policy is constructed and presented discursively. The Bologna process presents us with an example of such a policy construction process where the quality policy goals are set jointly in transnational settings, requiring different kinds of negotiations and discursive strategies. Discourse analysis of…

Discusses the policy report of the Minister of Education and Sciences, the creation and functions of the Advisory Committee on Education and Information Technology and the Centre for Education and Information Technology, characteristics of the development and implementation of computer literacy in the Netherlands, and a planned nationwide survey.…

The advantages and disadvantages of study abroad for students from developing nations are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the need for cooperation between educational institutions, rather than isolated efforts of individuals, to ensure quality and continuity in technical assistance programs. (RW)

Analyzes the recent evolution in higher education linkages between northern and southern countries from individual academic projects toward broader development cooperation. Reviews different linkage programs in Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Focuses on key issues concerning organization, procedures, and support mechanisms, and raises…

This contribution is based on comparative case studies of secondary schools in England, the Netherlands and Scotland. The authors conclude that although opportunities for school choice are offered in a formal sense in each of the locations studied, in certain cases choice is not particularly encouraged. In order to explain this disparity between…

This volume, number three in a series of three, investigates the relationship between modes of finance for primary schools and educational policy objectives in the countries of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Italy. The first purpose of the book was to tell the history of educational finance arrangements in order to frame the context within…

After a brief review of alternative methods of providing financial aid to students, the most significant differences between ten OECD member countries in the type, methods, and objectives of student aid policy are summarized. The implications of the alternative types of aid are then discussed. The ten countries are Australia, Canada, France,…

The Netherlands' new basic school (bringing together kindergarten and primary schools) was implemented in the mid-1980s to increase individualized instruction and curriculum differentiation for young children. This article summarizes a study mapping the new program's implementation by principals and teachers, and identifies three response patterns…

Evaluation studies of the Dutch Educational Priority Policy (OVB) conducted up to 1993 show that inside the Educational Priority Areas the OVB is being implemented better and achievement has improved more than outside these areas. Results are based on data from 600 schools involving 10,000 students in each year of measurement. (SLD)

In 2004 the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science set a concrete target: by 2010, close to 50% of the age cohort should participate in higher education, following the targets set in the UK and Sweden. However clear the target is set, the ways to achieve it are far less specified. In the article a number of possible instruments to…

This article shows the changes currently made to higher education in the Netherlands, and what they may mean for its future. Findings from a Delphi study were used to develop three scenarios for Dutch higher education in 2010. The Palatial Garden scenario combined little openness of the system with high governmental involvement, making it more…

As higher education has grown and state funding has been constrained, the financial sustainability of institutions of higher education (HE) has become an issue for policy makers and for those who govern and manage these institutions. The challenge for governments is to ensure that increasingly autonomous institutions respond to public interest…

During the 1970s, evaluation researchers realized that adoption of a curricular innovation does not ensure its implementation. This paper asks which strategies of educational policy and external support are relevant for implementing curricular innovations, particularly in the Netherlands. The first three sections discuss why and for whom…

A retrospective look is taken at the internal workings of a reform of university governance in the Netherlands, including a description of the relations between the various actors involved. It was found that a state of equilibrium has not yet been reached, but the most acute stages of the transition have passed. Then a broader look is taken at…

A discussion of recent higher education policy changes in European countries aimed at improving competitiveness and measuring performance outlines the policy adjustments and some of their consequences, compares two concepts of coordination, describes the American experience, and examines results of the changes in Europe. (MSE)