Masters Degrees in Special Needs Education, Netherlands

In education there are a number of different interests to be considered: the interests of the children, their parents, the groups to which they belong (e.g. religious or ethnic minorities), and the interests of society.

These interests are often difficult to define and they can often be at odds with each other. How do we establish what is the best practice or policy? How do we assess and attune conflicting interests or claims? How do we decide in the case of strong differences of opinion and perception?

Educational professionals need to have the competences to analyse and discuss moral, legal and policy-related issues. Some of them need to be extra-proficient in this area in order to be able to advise other professionals, managers, policy makers, politicians, and governments. The Ethics of Education Master's course provides the right learning environment to enable you to develop this extra expertise. You will acquire the relevant competences and learn to apply these in the professional contexts of research, policy making and consultancy.

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How can we use research evidence to inform educational practice? What factors at the macro, meso and micro levels of the educational system determine the success of educational interventions?

The Master's track 'Evidence-Based Education' aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of how educational research can contribute to the development of effective educational innovations and to the improvement of the quality of education. We strive for education that promotes the academic, meta-cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes of all students, regardless of their background characteristics and learning abilities. Stable educational improvement can only occur if there is a solid knowledge base to feed educational practice, from macro (e.g., policy), meso (e.g., school organization) to micro levels (e.g., classroom processes). Bridging the gap between research and educational practice requires graduates that can understand, assess and generate solid evidence, and can translate these insights into educational initiatives that are fully responsive to the societal issues and contexts in which they are embedded.

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