An evaluation of the ‘Education that Fits’ Act in the Netherlands has examined its impact on education stakeholders.
The ‘Education that Fits’ Act was introduced in the Netherlands in 2014. It aimed to allow more flexibility for education professionals to determine the additional support needed to meet their learners’ needs. It also aimed to streamline organisational and bureaucratic processes, allowing more structured access to support for learners with additional needs.
A group of independent research institutes, co-ordinated by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) carried out a five-year evaluation of the Act’s implementation and impact (2014–2020). It investigated the impact of the changes on the education system as a whole, at regional and school level, and on teachers, parents and learners.
Overall, the evaluation found that organisation of additional support has improved, although the impact on teachers, parents and learners has not been as strong as anticipated. There is a need for more defined target groups and monitoring. A summary of the main findings is available in English on the NRO website.
The research findings are being used to improve education policies in the Netherlands for learners, parents, teachers and other education professionals.
In addition to the summary report, more than 70 research reports have been published over the course of the evaluation. They are available (in Dutch) on the evaluation programme website. For more information, visit the NRO’s evaluation webpage.