Educational inequality and state-sponsored elite education: the case of the Dutch gymnasium

Abstract

In this paper the authors examine the role the Dutch gymnasium continues to play in the institutional maintenance of educational inequality. To that end they examine the relational and spatial features of state-sponsored elite education in the Dutch system: the unique identity the gymnasium seeks to cultivate; its value to its consumers; its geographic significance; and its market position amidst a growing array of other selective forms of schooling. They argue that there is a strong correlation between a higher social class background and the concern to transmit one's cultural habitus. They further speculate on the moral implications of statesponsored elite education, both as it concerns the specific role of the gymnasium in the reproduction of social inequality as well as the curious tendency among its supporters to rationalise the necessity of its existence.

Neighbourhood and school effects on educational inequalities in the transition from primary to secondary education in Amsterdam

“…What is more, although positions of class and ethnicity are strongly intertwined in the Amsterdam context, children with a non-Dutch background, particularly whose parents were born in Surinam, Antilles, Turkey or Morocco, receive lower school advices than children without a migrant background, correcting for their socioeconomic background. This provides quantitative backup for studies suggesting that educational inequalities in the Netherlands are due to ethnic/racial bias too (Merry and Boterman, 2020;Stam, 2018;Timmermans et al, 2015). The demonstrated effect of both ethnicity and SES confirms the international literature linking most educational inequalities to individual characteristics, of which class and ethnicity/race, and their intersections, are the most important (Van de Werfhorst and Van Tubergen, 2007).…”

“…Drawing Boterman, 2020;Stam, 2018;Timmermans et al, 2015). The demonstrated effect of both ethnicity and SES confirms the international literature linking most educational inequalities to individual characteristics, of which class and ethnicity/race, and their intersections, are the most important (Van de Werfhorst and Van Tubergen, 2007).…”

“…Children of lower socioeconomic backgrounds are much less likely to be selected into the higher tracks than children with a high socioeconomic background (Kloosterman et al, 2009). Especially in urban contexts, children with non-Dutch backgrounds are predominantly in the lower educational tracks (Inspectorate of Education, 2016), while pre-university education tracks including the prestigious gymnasia are in majority white, native Dutch neighbourhoods (Merry and Boterman, 2020). Although lower educational attainment of ethnic groups in the Netherlands is found to be mainly driven by the lower SES of these groups (Van de Werfhorst and Van Tubergen, 2007;Van Ours and Veenman, 2001), there is a growing body of literature that links these inequalities also to racial bias in teaching practices and school advice (Stam, 2018;Timmermans et al, 2015).…”

Exploring the uncharted waters of educational mobility: The role of key skills

“…Both mechanisms are not the strongest drivers of IEO, but both are substantial and together their impact is as large as the impact of parent's key skills. Moreover, there is a tendency that the role of these two mechanisms is growing due to increasing school segregation (Boterman et al 2019;Reardon and Owens 2014; Turkenburg and Herweijer 2021), difference in school quality and the emergence of elite schools (Merry and Boterman 2020), the increasing role of shadow education (Bray 2011) and increase in tuition fees (OECD 2020). This implies that policy measures should also be aimed at decreasing the negative impact for children coming from families with low soft skills and/or financial resources.…”

School choice and school segregation in the context of gentrifying Amsterdam

“…The effect of this family gentrification is reflected in the upward trend of school test scores and, correspondingly, more children tracked into higher levels of education (Merry & Boterman, 2020). Although clearly test scores are related to cognitive abilities as well as quality of teachers and school administrations, the class background of parents is a crucial factor for educational performance of children.…”