Valentina Devid and Samuel Derkse both work in and on education — from two perspectives that depend on each other. Most change stalls in the gap between a good idea and everyday practice; we work both sides of that gap at once.
Change starts in the classroom — but it only holds when designed and supported at the system level.
Everything we do is evidence-informed: grounded in the science of learning and in implementation science, and tested against the realities of school life. We don't believe in quick fixes or one-off training.
Most educational change stalls in the gap between a good idea and everyday practice. We work both sides of that gap at the same time — building programmes that move both people and systems, from curriculum design to what happens on Monday morning.
A former teacher and middle leader, Valentina has spent years as a trainer and adviser — in the Netherlands and, increasingly, across international contexts. She works at the level of implementation, leadership and whole-school development: how to make change durable rather than a project that fades within a year.
Since 2017 she has supported hundreds of teachers, school boards and leadership teams. Co-founder of The Formative Action School and Llearn, she built an online course on formative action that has reached over a thousand educators and developed a model for embedding change durably in schools. She works with the formative action loop and constructive alignment, and collaborates with educators including René Kneyber, Dominique Sluijsmans and Flemming van de Graaf.
Samuel is a teacher of Dutch, a learning-support specialist and a classroom expert in formative action. He teaches every day — and he knows what survives the moment an idea meets the realities of the classroom.
That daily classroom view is the point: most change stalls where a good idea meets everyday practice, and Samuel works that side of the gap. With Valentina he works on evidence-informed education and the role of AI in the classroom. He teaches and mentors at Staring College in Lochem, and co-authored a critique of self-determination theory (2026).
Strategy and classroom practice, advice and the real classroom — held together in a single approach.
Built at home in the Netherlands and increasingly working across international contexts.
The science of learning and implementation science, from start to finish — with a feel for school life.
Samuel is still in the classroom; Valentina works with schools every day. We never ask of others what we don't do ourselves.
From questioning established assumptions to actually implementing and embedding better education in practice — Valentina and Samuel work as a pair, and within a wider network of educators and researchers.
Tell us about your school, your team or your event — we'll reply within two working days.
