
De wankele empirische basis van het onderwijsachterstandenbeleid
The frail empirical foundation of the educational disadvantage policy
Educational opportunities are influenced by factors lying in the home situation of the children. In order to compensate for unfavorable circumstances, the Dutch government launched the educational disadvantage policy in the 1970s. The core of this policy is the so-called weighted student funding system. This policy instrument departs from the premise that students can be discerned according to level of disadvantage, and that schools with disadvantaged students should receive extra financial resources accordingly to combat educational delays. When this system was developed in the early 1980s, three indicators of disadvantage were applied, viz. parental educational level, occupational level, and country of birth. Analyses performed at the time showed a predictive validity estimate of 0.50, or 25 percent of explained variance in the students’ educational attainment. In the course of years the demographic circumstances have changed and the funding system has been adapted. Nowadays there only is one indicator of disadvantage left, that is, parental educational level. Analyses performed on data from the 2014 measurement wave of the national large-scale COOL5-18 cohort study show a validity estimate of 0.20, or no more than 4 percent of explained variance. It is argued that the empirical foundation of the educational disadvantage policy has become questionably frail and that instead of employing demographical family characteristics, focusing on the actual performance of children based on test achievement or teacher observations probably offers a more valid alternative.
Keywords: Educational Disadvantage Policy; equity; primary education; validity; weighted student funding
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Geert Driessen is onderzoeker op het gebied van onderwijsachterstanden aan het ITS van de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen. Correspondentieadres: ITS, Postbus 9048, 6500KJ Nijmegen. Web: geertdriessen.nl, Email: [email protected]
Publication date: September 1, 2015
Mens & Maatschappij, opgericht in 1925, publiceert artikelen representatief voor het hele onderzoeksgebied van de sociale wetenschappen, ongeacht richting of stroming, en altijd met een scherp oog voor kwaliteit en maatschappelijke relevantie. Een grondige en opbouwende reviewprocedure is onderdeel van het publicatieproces.
Behalve reguliere nummers verschijnt ieder jaar een themanummer waarin specialisten op uitnodiging van de redactie schrijven over een actueel thema.
In de etalage
In deze terugkerende rubriek worden opvallende internationale publicaties, van Nederlandse wetenschappers en passend binnen de scope, in de kijker gezet. De redactie zet zich ervoor in dat waardevolle bijdragen, eerder gepubliceerd in buitenlandse wetenschappelijke tijdschriften, ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar zijn en laagdrempelig worden uitgelicht.Scriptieprijs
Elk jaar reikt de redactie de Mens & Maatschappij Scriptieprijzen uit aan een artikel gebaseerd op een bachelor- en masterscriptie van hoge kwaliteit en met opvallende relevantie voor de sociale wetenschappen. In 2020 won het onderzoek door Lotte van Beers over hoe persoonlijk contact en mediacontact weerslag hebben op houdingen ten opzichte van verschillende migrantengroepen de prijs voor de masterscriptie.Mens & Maatschappij, founded in 1925, publishes articles representative of the entire social sciences research field, regardless of school of thought, and always with a keen eye for quality and social relevance. A thorough and constructive review procedure is part of the publication process.
In addition to regular issues, the editors invite specialists to contribute to the annual special issue focussing on a current theme.
In de etalage
In this recurring section, striking international publications by Dutch scientists and within the journal's scope are put in the spotlight. The editorial team is committed to ensure that valuable contributions, previously published in foreign scientific journals, are also available in Dutch.Scriptieprijs
Each year, the editors award the Mens & Maatschappij Scriptieprijs to an article based on a BA and MA thesis of high quality and with striking relevance to the social sciences. In 2020, Lotte van Beers' research on how personal and media contact affect attitudes towards different migrant groups was rewarded the prize for her MA thesis.- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- Back Issues, 1925-2000
- Back Issues, 2001-2008
- Peer Review, Ethics and Malpractice
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites