Policy experimentation in complex education systems

Citation:

Work data:

ISBN: 978-92-64-25536-4

Type of work: Book Chapter

Categories:

Education | Innovation

Abstract:

Policy experimentation has the potential to be an effective instrument for policy making in a complex environment. This chapter discusses the experience of the Netherlands, which has engaged in active policy experimentation for the last decade, and distils lessons learned. Starting with the underlying rationale of policy experimentation in education, the chapter examines the scope of experimentation and innovation in the Dutch education system and describes examples of the various forms of experiments carried out as well as dilemmas and lessons related experimentation. The role of education practitioners, ensuring schools’ capacity as well as knowledge dissemination are found as critical for successful experimentation.