System level supervision
Our main products for our system level supervision are our annual state of education, financial state of education and national theme-reports, infographics and guidelines. Results of these research projects are presented and discussed with the ministry of education and national stakeholders.
Part of such a national (or regional) research is theme-based research in a sample of schools or governing bodies. We therefore conduct reviews at schools and institutions and collect relevant information from various (academic) sources.
To reach more coherence between system level supervision and governing body supervision we also assess the role that a governing body plays in certain system issues (for example inequality of opportunity or declining literacy or numeracy levels) and address this in our four-yearly cycle of governing body inspections and/or in school inspections.
State of Education
The education report The State of Education 2023 outlines developments and key themes in Dutch education. In this report you will find a summary that reflects on major developments and facets of education that are in need of improvement. The State of Education often summarizes the thematic research (see below) that we have done, added by research into more general data.
Systematic and thematic research
Each year, we select themes we would like to focus on based on the supervisory and review data, and trends and developments in education. These themes can either be covering all levels of education or focused on a specific educational field e.g. primary education. We decide how the research outcome is presented to the public as to assure the content will be used to improve the educational system. This might result in conducting a thematic review, holding a congress or a webinar, or publishing a brochure. The chosen method is stipulated in our Annual Operational Plan. Should we choose to conduct a thematic research, this may be done as part of or in addition to the four yearly inspection of governing bodies and/or school inspections.
The results of the systematic and thematic research are often included in our annual report on the State of Education.
Examples of themes
- Vulnerable pupil groups in the system: opportunities and obstacles (cross-sectoral)
- Social quality (cross-sectoral)
- Writing education (primary education)