Dutch policies on socio‐economic and ethnic inequality in education

Since the 1960s The Netherlands has produced policy to combat educational inequalities stemming from the social milieu and ethnicity of pupils. This policy has evolved from local to central policy and back again to a decentralised level. The initial focus on disadvantaged native Dutch pupils in big cities has shifted to immigrant groups and – at the time of writing – to disadvantaged pupils in general. According to many, the various policies have produced disappointing results. The under‐performance of children with under‐educated parents from ethnic minorities are still quite large while the under‐performance of children of native Dutch working‐class parents is somewhat smaller but still substantial. This article gives an overview of the various policies that were implemented over time. It also devotes attention to the outcomes of the policies and the current state of affairs with regard to the achievements and attainment in education of disadvantaged children. In closing, it places the findings in an international perspective and discusses reasons for the policies' disappointing lack of success.