During the second half of the twentieth century, faithful followers of non-Western religions immigrated into Western European countries. Their children were a challenge for the respective educational system in the host countries. In the Dutch context, the educational system consists of public and private schools in which religion is the most…

Notwithstanding dramatically low levels of professed religiosity in Western Europe, the religious school sector continues to thrive. One explanation for this paradox is that nowadays parents choose religious schools primarily for their higher academic reputation. Empirical evidence for this presumed denominational advantage is mixed. We examine…

Examines the effect of differences in governance structures, school-effectiveness factors, and classroom-level factors on mathematics achievement in public, Catholic, Protestant, and neutral schools in The Netherlands. Concludes that the higher mathematics achievement of Catholic pupils can be explained, in part, by the governance structure and…

Asserts the Dutch educational systems' key feature is the principle that parents should be given the opportunity to organize and choose the kind of education they desire. Focuses on the role of the Dutch Social Democrats, the Groningen motion, and the outcome and intellectual foundation of publicly run Dutch schools. (KDR)

Discusses public policy against using public funds to help minorities attend private religious schools and reviews private school funding as found in other countries (Denmark, Holland, and Australia). Discusses the influence of separation of church and state in justifying the exclusion of private schools for public funding as well as the…