Kids from struggling families the victim of more focus on language, mathematics: study
Researchers at the VU University Amsterdam fear that Education State Secretary Mariëlle Paul’s plans to focus more on language and mathematics in schools will only further disadvantage children who are already struggling. They worry that the government is too focused on scoring high on the international education rankings, and not enough on the other things schools teach children, Parool reports.
It has been known for some time that children who come from families that live in poverty or whose parents have a low education level and have a lower socio-economic status start primary school at a different level than peers from a higher socio-economic environment. These children have a harder time in class, in more than just the lessons. “They often have difficulty with relationships with peers and are more likely to be bullied,” developmental psychologist Nil Horoz told the newspaper.
Horoz’s Ph.D. research is on the struggles of children from families with low socio-economic status. She found that the problems they face in group 3 of primary school do not decrease as they get older. By the time they reach group 8, the problems are the same or larger. Dutch schools are not able to reduce the inequality in children’s development, and Horoz fears that State Secretary Paul’s plans may make things worse.
The quality of Dutch education has not been great for years and the Education Inspectorate has sounded the alarm about school students’ basic skills for multiple years. The Netherlands has also been falling on the international rankings that focus on primary school pupils’ reading and mathematics levels. Last week, State Secretary Paul presented a 75-page document with new goals for language, arithmetic, and mathematics, aimed at breaking this downward spiral.
This increased focus on language and mathematics will increase the inequality of opportunity, VU researcher Marieke Buil, who supervised Horoz’s Ph.D., told Parool. “Do we just want to score high on the international rankings? Schools are also there to teach children how to be themselves, how to make valuable contacts with others, and how to stay mentally healthy,” she said. “Attention must be paid to the complete development of pupils. By only focusing on those skills, sacrifices are made elsewhere. This cuts into the development of children who need the most help. The inequality between children only increases.”
“You can’t learn if the foundation isn’t there,” said Horoz. “Children need to develop socially and emotionally, be able to get along well with friends and feel comfortable around their classmates. These are all basic principles on which you can build.”
The VU researchers understand the government’s efforts in the educational field to give children equal opportunities. But the current efforts are not enough to level the playing field. They advocate for a holistic approach in primary education, focusing on both academic and social-emotional learning, and supporting the behavior and self-image of children from struggling families.
