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In an effort to cope with a number of challenges from within and outside of the Netherlands, a Dutch School Group in Amsterdam embarked on a process of change by adopting an international dimension to the students' experience. Instead of these schools becoming more similar to each other, i.e. converging towards an internationalising 'master-viewpoint', the schools' alignment under pressure showed a process of 'anisomorphism': their education's primary function, approach, tasks, role and objectives for society were changing into different internationalising directions. However, the pragmatic expectations and actions, particularly of the parents and the students, were creating new boundaries and rationales for the schools as bargaining zones. The 'shifting borders' between the schools were becoming more connected with a growing international focus, yet had different pragmatic and ideological implications for each of them. This raises the issue of the role of education in a multicultural and globalising society. An increase in institutional diversity and an increased uncertainty about the aims of education, stretched the educational and social boundaries of these students' futures.
About the author
Dr. Boris Prickarts is founding headmaster of the Amsterdam International Community School (AICS). He was a history teacher and junior administrator at the International School of The Hague (ISH). He worked in the UK (1992) and Australia (2001) as a visiting history teacher. From 1992-2002 he was author and editor of various history school books.
