New professional journal for po , with DUO-Onderwijs as media partner

With the introduction of trade magazine The Ruler, evidence-informed education gets a firm stage. DUO-Onderwijs handles media management and operation. “DUO-Onderwijs, like us, wants to make education better,” says The Ruler's editor-in-chief Sezgin Cihangir. “You notice that not only by what they do, but especially by how they do it.”

The Ruler is an independent trade magazine with a focus on basic skills. The magazine was founded on the belief that there is too little focus in education on what has been proven to work. “Evidence-informed education is often mixed up with all kinds of well-meaning approaches,” says Sezgin. “This creates confusion, when what is needed is clarity. In education, there is a lot of freedom and autonomy for teachers, which is a great thing. At the same time, we see we that in basic skills, this freedom sometimes leads to non-commitment and ignorance. With language, maths and knowledge of the world, we know from research what works. Then we should also take that knowledge seriously.”

The Ruler aims to provide clarity by translating scientific research into educational practice. The magazine combines research articles with practical examples, opinions and book reviews. Everything published has demonstrably evidence-informed roots. “We think it is important for the Ruler to have a clear identity so that readers know what to expect. In many education magazines, everything is offered interchangeably, leaving you at a loss as to what is an effective approach and what is not.” In doing so, it positions the Ruler consciously presents itself as a no-nonsense trade magazine, without hypes or trends that are unsubstantiated.

DUO-Onderwijs handles the distribution of The Ruler and also regulates its exploitation. “They have been a regular player in the education landscape for many years and handle the exploitation of almost all professional magazines in education,” says Sezgin. “Thanks to that broad network and their knowledge of the field, we can distribute Ruler in a targeted way to schools in primary and secondary education. That is essential for us, because our content has to reach teachers who can actually use it.” In addition, DUO offers space for relevant parties to advertise, in line with the magazine's identity. “Advertisements are not our core business, but they help make the platform broader and more sustainable.”

What connects the Ruler and DUO-Onderwijs is their no-nonsense approach. “We share the same ambition: to make education better. We bring a clear story about what works in education, without buzzwords or hypes. DUO-Onderwijs is the same way: practical, service-oriented and focused on quality. They look very carefully at which parties are relevant to our readers and fit our content.”

Sezgin and his colleagues have regular contacts. “They are flexible, think along when time is short and their infrastructure is user-friendly and reliable,” he says. That basis offers room to expand the cooperation in the future, for instance in the field of newsletters or research. “In fact, DUO-Onderwijs does much more than just media exploitation and distribution,” says Sezgin. “We can also commission surveys on our reach, image and brand awareness. These are services that, as editors, you don't just organise yourself, but which help to further strengthen our mission.”

Sezgin Cihangir is director of the Netherlands Mathematical Institute and editor-in-chief of de Liniaal.