In 1986 the Dutch government adopted a common core corriculum that would apply to the first 3 years of secondary education. This paper discusses why such a curriculum is necessary, both for improving the individual chances of pupils in the labor market and for society as a whole, and cites the following basic skills as the kernel of the curriculum: (1) language skills; (2) knowledge of one's own history and culture and of other cultures; (3) logical-mathematical knowledge and skills; (4) knowledge of nature and technology; (5) preparation for and orientation toward work; and (6) expressive skills. The proposed subjects of the common core curriculum are listed along with the total number of lessons that should be required over the 3 years. In each subject, the goal is to give balanced attention to the analytical and theoretical elements; the skills to apply the knowledge in a practical way; and knowledge about the social and cultural aspects of the subject. The decreasing numbers of pupils and the simultaneous introduction of a common core curriculum suggest that the geographically evenly distributed junior vocational and junior secondary schools could specialize in the core curriculum of basic education without relatively high new investments in educational facilities. The report concludes with a graphic display of the structure of full-time education in the Netherlands. (MLF)