Dropping out from school in The Netherlands; magnitude, policy and results.

Early school-leaving worsens one’s labour-market perspectives and may cause higher costs for society, for example in terms of increased crime or public expenditures on social welfare. So far, it is not known whether Dutch dropout-prevention policies contribute to a reduction of school dropout. The empirical literature shows that dropout can be reduced by positive financial incentives for students, teachers or schools. A couple of intensive and sustained mentoring programs targeted on the social development of students at risk have also proven to be effective. The characteristics of successful foreign interventions can serve as a starting point for the design of effective policy experiments in the Netherlands. Finally, this document sketches an opportunity for an evaluation of an important Dutch policy instrument based on a natural experiment.

This publication is in Dutch.