highlight Bereslim, a digital picture book program for early childhood education, as an effective tool for improving the Dutch vocabulary and story comprehension of children aged 2 to 7 who have, or are at risk of, a language delay. The National Education Program (‘Nationaal Programma Onderwijs’ in Dutch) offers a selection of educational interventions that are scientifically investigated.2 In addition, the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (‘Centraal Planbureau’ in Dutch) has published a report on effective interventions in primary education, among others emphasizing the critical role of teachers and the benefits of summer schools (Planbureau, 2018). On an international level, organizations such as the Education Endowment Foundation focus on equipping policymakers with insights into effective interventions, further supporting informed decision-making in education policy. Furthermore, policymakers shouldconsider the interplay between varying basic skills when designing educational interventions or when making investments. Improvements in one skill area often support and enhance other areas. For instance, investing in early literacy programs may not only improve reading proficiency but also strengthen spelling and numerical understanding, as these skills are interconnected. On the one hand, this highlights the importance tolook at the broader picture when facing learning difficulties and to consider this interplay when thinking about strategies to improve students’ basic skills. On the other hand, these more indirect effects of a certain intervention should be considered by policymakers when making cost-benefit analyses. Last, this dissertation concludes that the mastery of basic skills does 2See www.nponderwijs.nl/po-en-vo/aan-de-slag/menukaart 151
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