In 1924, Rosa Bassett, together with Helen Parkhurst, founded the Dalton Association in Great Britain. Soon after, a similar organization was established in the United States. In 1931, the Dutch Dalton Association was founded in the Netherlands. While the Dalton Association in Great Britain and the United States disappeared after World War II, the association in the Netherlands still exists today.
It is gratifying to note that in recent decades, new associations of Dalton schools have been established in various countries, within which teachers and schools seek cooperation in their own countries. The following overview provides information about the various national Dalton associations.
The Netherlands
The Dutch Dalton Association (NDV) has existed in the Netherlands since 1931. Today, around 400 schools are members of the NDV . Approximately 5% of all schools in the Netherlands are Dalton schools. In total, more than 100,000 pupils attend Dalton schools.
The association has formulated a number of quality criteria for Dalton education. All teachers follow separate training for Dalton education during or after their initial teacher training. There are various educational institutions that have been licensed by the NDV to provide Dalton training. Experienced teachers from Dalton schools who have been trained as ‘inspectors’ periodically check the quality of Dalton education at all Dalton schools.
Further information can be found on the website of the Dutch Dalton Association (NDV): http://www.dalton.nl
Germany
The German Dalton Association is officially called Dalton Vereinigung Deutschland e.V. and is the national organization that supports, certifies, and further develops Dalton education in Germany. More information can be found on the association’s website: https://www.dalton-vereinigung.de
Czech Republic
The Česká Daltonská Asociace is an association with a number of active Dalton schools in primary education. The association regularly organizes its own conferences and has a number of its own publications. The association in the Czech Republic has its own website: https://www.dalton.cz
In addition to the associations mentioned above, there are several countries that do have partnerships between Dalton schools in those countries. These include Poland, Belgium, and Austria.