1 Sep 2023

Dutch government advises high schools to ban mobile phones during school day

By NewTechKids

On July 4, 2023, something momentous happened in the Netherlands. The Dutch Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf issued an urgent guideline calling for the banning of all mobile telephones from Dutch high schools as of January 2024. It's just a guideline and not enforceable but it's a big deal that the Dutch government has taken this step. Individual high schools are expected to develop their own specific terms related to the ban based on input from

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4 Jan 2020

Possible 4-day teaching week in Amsterdam

By NewTechKids

How are school systems in the Netherlands dealing with teacher shortages, teacher burnout and the shrinking number of people choosing to become teachers? Some Dutch primary schools in Amsterdam are considering an emergency measure: shifting to a four-day teaching week. Why? Amsterdam has been hit particularly hard by teacher shortages. At the beginning of this school year which began in August 2019, the city was short 280 teachers. This shortage has now grown to almost

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15 Mar 2015

Developing Teachers is a Priority

By NewTechKids

Last week, NewTechKids' co-founders attended the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Conference in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the conference brought together Dutch and international teachers, school leaders, researchers, policy makers and government representatives. They shared the results of TALIS (a large-scale international survey involving 33 countries) and discussed new strategies for improving the professional development of teachers and the learning environments in schools. The

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