Per BlesView profile
Researcher
Per Bles is a Researcher at Maastricht University's School of Business and Economics, affiliated with the ROA (Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market) specializing in Health, skills and inequality research. With 32 publications spanning from 2017 to 2025, Bles maintains an active research profile focusing on the Dutch education system and related policy issues. Bles' research interests center on educational policy with particular expertise in the Dutch education system, school tracking mechanisms, educational inequality, and flexibility within educational structures. The research portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on how institutional characteristics shape educational careers and outcomes, with recent work examining bridge functions between schools and homes, predictors of school success, and development of flexibility indicators for educational systems. Notable scientific recognition includes two Societal Impact Awards received in December 2017: the jury prize and people's choice award, both shared with colleagues van der Velden, Levels, van Vugt, and Huijgen for research with significant societal relevance. Bles maintains strong engagement with both academic and professional communities through numerous conference presentations and media contributions. Recent professional activities include presentations at Leraarlab conferences addressing teacher shortages and team culture in schools, while media appearances have covered topics like educational inequality, impacts of the pandemic on teenagers, and developments in lower-track education in the Netherlands. The researcher is actively involved with the Education Lab and ROA, contributing to projects that bridge academic research with practical educational challenges, particularly in primary education contexts where school-home connections are being strengthened through bridge functionaries.









