OECD vs the Netherlands

1
OECD vs the Netherlands

• Early tracking or are we flexible enough?

2
A stratified education system

• students are subject to institutionalised
  differentiation from age 12
• OECD 2007 differentiation diminishes
  opportunities for disadvantaged and non-Western
  migrant pupils to enter Tertiary Education
• Tension stratified system is efficient, but what
  about equal opportunities for all?

3
What about equal opportunities?

• Most research results suggest that early tracking
  reinforces inequality through
• strengthening socio-economic deficit
• more inequality in learning outcomes
• However causal relationship between systemic
  characteristics and (un)equal opportunities
  appears problematic

4
Systemic characteristics do not explain everything

• School careers social, cultural and
  organisational characteristics are more important
  than systemic features
• Education cannot compensate for society
• Paradox in the Netherlands? Despite inequality in
  learning outcomes, their differentiation is
  relatively limited

5
Learning outcomes and non-Western migrant pupils
in the Netherlands

• Lower learning outcomes follow from lower
  socio-economic status
• However in Primary Education migrant pupils
  catch up a lot (not all) and this continues in
  Secondary Education
• Participation of non-Western migrant students in
  Tertiary Education has strongly increased
• Yet migrant school careers retain peculiar
  characteristics

6
School career characteristics of non-Western
migrants

• In general achievement is lower
• Within the group there are major differences
  (some without qualification, others in Tertiary
  Education)
• Succesful migrant students achieve better than
  native students (after correction for
  socio-economic deficit)
• They are highly motivated
• They make extensive use of roundabout routes
  through the system (flexibility)

7
Careers of HBO-starters in 2007
Native Dutch Non-Western
Vmbo-mbo-hbo 33 46
Havo-mbo-hbo 1 1
Vmbo-havo-hbo 7 8
Havo-hbo 47 36
Vwo-hbo 8 2
other 3 8
8
Careers of University (WO)-starters
native Dutch Non-Western
Vmbo-mbo-hbo-wo 2 6
Havo-vwo-wo 4 5
Vwo-wo 78 65
Vwo-hbo-wo 3 0
Other/unknown-hbo-wo 13 24
9
Flexibility goes even further

• In the 3d year of Secondary Education, 24 of
  pupils is no longer in the school-type where
  he/she started (13 upward, 11 downward)
• Mobility within vmbo and with havo/vwo is
  substantial during the first years (upward from
  vmbo to havo 6 7 )
• There are no impermeable walls between the
  school-types

10
Early tracking and flexibility

• A substantial flexibility exists but is it
  enough?
• A mix of approaches is advisable
• post-selection mobility (as shown above)
• timely compensation for disadvantages
• investing in education time (ECEC)

11
The verdict is ambiguous (?)

• Non-Western migrant students need the roundabout
  routes to gather social capital
• Non-Western migrant students are duped because
  they are structurally under-advised and thus
  are selected on perseverance instead of talent
  and capacity