International education in a national context: Introducing the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in Dutch public schools

Abstract

Some bilingual secondary schools in the Netherlands have introduced or are introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP).The implementation of this international scheme at (semi-) public national Dutch schools proves anything but unproblematic. Based on a series of questionnaires filled out by school managers and MYP coordinators at other national schools offering IB programmes worldwide, the author has tried to gain insight into some of the conditions under which international education could become a success in (Dutch) national schools.