Parental Choice in the Netherlands: Growing Concerns about Segregation. Sanford Working Paper Series. SAN10-02

The Netherlands has a long history of parental choice and school anatomy. This paper examines why segregation by educational disadvantage has only recently emerged as a policy issue in the Netherlands. In addition, we document the levels and trends of school segregation in Dutch cities. We find segregation levels that are high both absolutely and relative to those in the U.S. cities. Current efforts to limit segregation in Dutch cities inevitably confront the deeply held Dutch value of freedom of education. (Contains 5 tables, 4 figures and 18 footnotes.)