Segmentación y sistemas educativos: un análisis a través de la comparación de los cambios para la escuela secundaria en Europa y América Latina

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze recent changes in the organization of secondary school in some countries from Latin America and Europe and its relationship in each case with historical processes of segmentation of the educational supply. An analysis of the process of segmentation is relevant due to its historical association with the expansion of schooling, on the one hand, and with the unequal distribution of educational supply, on the other. Such analysis is also pertinent due to its contribution as a potential category of comparison.The theoretical framework of this paper is studies of the internationalization of schooling. It encompasses three dimensions of analysis: a historical dimension to understand processes of passing on discourses and practices as a legacy that gives shape to school institutions; a systemic dimension to understand the dynamic on the basis of which school practices are structured; a dimension tied to the internationalization of education, more specifically, the relationship between international tendencies and local practices in the context of the expansion of schooling.These three dimensions are used as the basis for comparison of recent changes in the organization of secondary school in some countries in Latin America and Europe. The comparison encompasses the identification of an international and historical matrix specific to each case and the ways in which that matrix tends to be reshaped with the implementation of contemporary policies. On this basis, the issue of segmentation is compared between different cases in order to identify commonalities and differences in how education systems operate today. The identification of these differences will contribute, in turn, to better understanding of each case.This paper makes use of secondary sources including historical studies and studies on policies pertinent to each case. The aim is to provide an analysis that sheds light on the mechanisms by which education systems produce differentiating educational supplies that have a detrimental effect on equity.