Shaping Multicultural Education: A Comparative Policy Analysis of the
Netherlands and the United States
Both globalization and immigration have made a significant impact on modern society,
especially pertaining to educational settings (Hahn, 2020; Veugelers, 2020). As societies become
increasingly diverse and multicultural, the importance of introducing educational practices that
prepare students to navigate and appreciate the differences and similarities of various cultures
increases (Hahn, 2020). In other words, multicultural education implementation has become
more needed.
Multicultural education works from the belief that the diversity of gender, ethnicity,
religion, and culture, among other factors, should be represented in educational structures and
institutions (Marshall, 2019). From this, the notion arises that well-executed multicultural
education has the capacity to reduce societal problems, including discrimination and prejudice
(Banks & Banks, 2016). It does so, in part, by helping students develop intercultural competence.
This means that students need to be capable of, for example, critical thinking, communicating,
and empathizing (Barrett, 2018). These skills and attitudes are necessary to engage in
constructive communication between people from other cultural backgrounds and encourage
inclusivity in a globalized modern society (Dalib et al., 2014). Because it is extremely difficult to
quantify the effects of multicultural education, and there has been little academic literature
written on this, the focus will be mostly on the policies in place and governmental involvement
in both countries relating to multicultural education in schools, rather than on any performance
statistics of student achievement. Public policy plays a pivotal role in shaping multicultural
education, influencing how educational systems address and integrate cultural diversity within
their curricula, pedagogical approaches, and institutional frameworks. Thus diverging policy
approaches will be an important focus of our research.
However, this ideal definition of multicultural education outlined above is not always
easy to achieve. Many countries around the world grapple with issues of segregation and
inequalities in their educational systems, the Netherlands and the United States included. Reports
from both countries indicate patterns that highlight this. For example, students with minority
backgrounds are often disproportionately represented in some schools in the United States,
whilst not in others (Cardona, 2023). This is not only a problem because some of these schools
,may have fewer resources, but also because it takes away equal opportunities to develop
intercultural skills for all students.
Although the Netherlands and the United States both deal with this issue, the educational
systems and the historical and social context of the countries are quite dissimilar, making them a
very interesting subject of comparison. For example, the population of the United States being
composed of high numbers of immigrants and a diverse student body, is ideologically and
demographically very different from a comparatively homogeneous and Dutch oriented national
identity in the Netherlands. Additionally, the Netherlands having a smaller, more centralized
system compared to the United States with a highly decentralized education system where
policies can vary significantly between states, makes for diverse approaches to multiculturalism
across the countries. Comparing these countries, therefore, and considering this historical context
when examining the development of intercultural approaches in education will lead to greater
insights into the reasons for these problems and possible solutions. Consequently, this research
paper will compare and contrast multicultural education in the Netherlands and the United States
through the lens of public policies pertaining primarily secondary schools. This paper will focus
our research on the way that the government involves itself with multicultural education and how
various public policies have been designed to uplift or in some cases diminish multicultural
education.
Method
In this paper, George Bereday's four steps of comparison model will be implemented by
breaking the research down into four sections: description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and
comparison. The interpretation of sections in this comparison will be thoroughly examined, as
the histories, specifically of immigration and inclusion within the United States and the
Netherlands are drastically different. This context is essential to understanding why and how the
current multicultural educational systems exist, and how they can be improved with respect to
their social/ cultural environments.
A variety of sources will be used in this research, including policy information from
Eurydice (educational systems) and other intergovernmental institutions. When browsing
scholarly articles through databases such as GoogleScholar and WorldCat, key phases such as
“multicultural education,” “public policies involving cross-cultural education,” and “education
, and diversity” for both the United States and the Netherlands will be used. We prioritized
peer-reviewed journals that defined multicultural education similarly to us. Because multicultural
education is a field that is constantly evolving, we tried to limit the scope of our sources to pieces
written within the last 10 years, with the exception of sources that provide historical context. In
addition, Hofstede’s 6-D Model of national culture, and various policy documents respective to
each country will be used, in order to get a strong sense of the social, political, historical, and
economic dimensions at play. Overall, a diverse selection for both countries will be used,
in combination with qualitative and quantitative data, to paint a comprehensive picture of the
different approaches to multicultural education in the Netherlands and the United States and their
subsequent influences on the students' experiences and learning outcomes in secondary
education.
Chapter 3: The Netherlands
Multicultural education in the Netherlands is shaped by its unique historical and social
context. Unlike the United States, where racial and ethnic diversity has been a long-standing
aspect of the societal fabric, the Netherlands has faced these issues more recently due to
significant immigration starting in the latter half of the 20th century. This chapter explores the
historical and social dimensions that frame the current state of multicultural education in Dutch
secondary schools.
Historical and social dimension
Historically, Dutch society was predominantly homogeneous (bron). However, in the
1960s and 1970s, the Netherlands experienced a significant influx of immigrants from former
colonies (bron). Initially, large groups of immigrants came from a few countries like Indonesia,
Morocco, Turkey, Suriname, and the former Netherlands Antilles. In recent decades, the
diversity of the migrant population has expanded significantly due to factors such as
globalization, economic opportunities and geopolitical changes (Jennissen et al., 2018). By 2017
the migrants in the Netherlands originated from 223 different countries, making the immigrant
community much more varied than in the past (Jennissen et al., 2018).
Netherlands and the United States
Both globalization and immigration have made a significant impact on modern society,
especially pertaining to educational settings (Hahn, 2020; Veugelers, 2020). As societies become
increasingly diverse and multicultural, the importance of introducing educational practices that
prepare students to navigate and appreciate the differences and similarities of various cultures
increases (Hahn, 2020). In other words, multicultural education implementation has become
more needed.
Multicultural education works from the belief that the diversity of gender, ethnicity,
religion, and culture, among other factors, should be represented in educational structures and
institutions (Marshall, 2019). From this, the notion arises that well-executed multicultural
education has the capacity to reduce societal problems, including discrimination and prejudice
(Banks & Banks, 2016). It does so, in part, by helping students develop intercultural competence.
This means that students need to be capable of, for example, critical thinking, communicating,
and empathizing (Barrett, 2018). These skills and attitudes are necessary to engage in
constructive communication between people from other cultural backgrounds and encourage
inclusivity in a globalized modern society (Dalib et al., 2014). Because it is extremely difficult to
quantify the effects of multicultural education, and there has been little academic literature
written on this, the focus will be mostly on the policies in place and governmental involvement
in both countries relating to multicultural education in schools, rather than on any performance
statistics of student achievement. Public policy plays a pivotal role in shaping multicultural
education, influencing how educational systems address and integrate cultural diversity within
their curricula, pedagogical approaches, and institutional frameworks. Thus diverging policy
approaches will be an important focus of our research.
However, this ideal definition of multicultural education outlined above is not always
easy to achieve. Many countries around the world grapple with issues of segregation and
inequalities in their educational systems, the Netherlands and the United States included. Reports
from both countries indicate patterns that highlight this. For example, students with minority
backgrounds are often disproportionately represented in some schools in the United States,
whilst not in others (Cardona, 2023). This is not only a problem because some of these schools
,may have fewer resources, but also because it takes away equal opportunities to develop
intercultural skills for all students.
Although the Netherlands and the United States both deal with this issue, the educational
systems and the historical and social context of the countries are quite dissimilar, making them a
very interesting subject of comparison. For example, the population of the United States being
composed of high numbers of immigrants and a diverse student body, is ideologically and
demographically very different from a comparatively homogeneous and Dutch oriented national
identity in the Netherlands. Additionally, the Netherlands having a smaller, more centralized
system compared to the United States with a highly decentralized education system where
policies can vary significantly between states, makes for diverse approaches to multiculturalism
across the countries. Comparing these countries, therefore, and considering this historical context
when examining the development of intercultural approaches in education will lead to greater
insights into the reasons for these problems and possible solutions. Consequently, this research
paper will compare and contrast multicultural education in the Netherlands and the United States
through the lens of public policies pertaining primarily secondary schools. This paper will focus
our research on the way that the government involves itself with multicultural education and how
various public policies have been designed to uplift or in some cases diminish multicultural
education.
Method
In this paper, George Bereday's four steps of comparison model will be implemented by
breaking the research down into four sections: description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and
comparison. The interpretation of sections in this comparison will be thoroughly examined, as
the histories, specifically of immigration and inclusion within the United States and the
Netherlands are drastically different. This context is essential to understanding why and how the
current multicultural educational systems exist, and how they can be improved with respect to
their social/ cultural environments.
A variety of sources will be used in this research, including policy information from
Eurydice (educational systems) and other intergovernmental institutions. When browsing
scholarly articles through databases such as GoogleScholar and WorldCat, key phases such as
“multicultural education,” “public policies involving cross-cultural education,” and “education
, and diversity” for both the United States and the Netherlands will be used. We prioritized
peer-reviewed journals that defined multicultural education similarly to us. Because multicultural
education is a field that is constantly evolving, we tried to limit the scope of our sources to pieces
written within the last 10 years, with the exception of sources that provide historical context. In
addition, Hofstede’s 6-D Model of national culture, and various policy documents respective to
each country will be used, in order to get a strong sense of the social, political, historical, and
economic dimensions at play. Overall, a diverse selection for both countries will be used,
in combination with qualitative and quantitative data, to paint a comprehensive picture of the
different approaches to multicultural education in the Netherlands and the United States and their
subsequent influences on the students' experiences and learning outcomes in secondary
education.
Chapter 3: The Netherlands
Multicultural education in the Netherlands is shaped by its unique historical and social
context. Unlike the United States, where racial and ethnic diversity has been a long-standing
aspect of the societal fabric, the Netherlands has faced these issues more recently due to
significant immigration starting in the latter half of the 20th century. This chapter explores the
historical and social dimensions that frame the current state of multicultural education in Dutch
secondary schools.
Historical and social dimension
Historically, Dutch society was predominantly homogeneous (bron). However, in the
1960s and 1970s, the Netherlands experienced a significant influx of immigrants from former
colonies (bron). Initially, large groups of immigrants came from a few countries like Indonesia,
Morocco, Turkey, Suriname, and the former Netherlands Antilles. In recent decades, the
diversity of the migrant population has expanded significantly due to factors such as
globalization, economic opportunities and geopolitical changes (Jennissen et al., 2018). By 2017
the migrants in the Netherlands originated from 223 different countries, making the immigrant
community much more varied than in the past (Jennissen et al., 2018).
