The NVORWO (Nederlandse Vereniging voor de Ontwikkeling van Reken-WiskundeOnderwijs) is the Dutch association for the development of mathematics education. The association focuses on mathematics education and teacher training for primary schools.
The association for secondary school mathematics teachers in the Netherlands is the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Wiskundeleraren (NVvW). The association holds a yearly one-day meeting and study conference.
The Platform Wiskunde Nederland (PWN, the Dutch Platform for Mathematics) is the organisation for mathematics in the Netherlands with representatives from KWG (Royal Dutch association of mathematicians) and NVvW. PWN is constituted by five committees of which one focuses on mathematics education on all levels up to university. The ICMI Representative for the Netherlands is formally nominated by PWN.
The journal for primary school teachers, teacher educators, developers and advisors is Volgens Bartjens. The journal is published in collaboration with NVORWO. The journal of NVvW is called Euclides (in Dutch) and focuses on classroom practices for mathematics teachers in secondary school. The journal of KWG that mainly publishes for mathematics researchers and educators at the university level is Nieuw Archief voor de Wiskunde. This journal publishes contributions in Dutch and in English.
Mathematics education research is conducted at each university with a mathematics teacher education study program. Only one university, Utrecht University, has a mathematics education research group, the Freudenthal Institute, with a full professorship and circa 10 faculty members. Two universities of applied sciences, IPABO and HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, have research groups on mathematics education for primary, secondary and vocational education.
Teacher education in the Netherlands is conducted in 4–5-year Bachelor or Master programs at a university for applied sciences (hogeschool), or at a research university. At a research university various tracks are available to obtain a teacher degree, varying from a minor in the bachelors (lower secondary education) to an extra year with internship after a master in mathematics (all levels in secondary education). Primary school teachers are generalists and complete a limited number of ECTS in a mathematics and mathematics education study program.
The national standards harmonize the expectations for student competency outcomes at the end of primary school (age of 11/12), for basic education (age 14/15), and as attainment targets for the end of secondary school on three levels (vmbo, havo and vwo). More information on the Dutch school system in English is accessible here. See the website of the Netherlands institute for curriculum development (SLO) for information on national standards and syllabi with examples related to the current curriculum and to curriculum reform initiatives.