Towards an education approach à la finlandaise? French education policy after PISA

Michael Dobbins,Kerstin Martens

doi:10.1080/02680939.2011.622413

Abstract

In this article, we address whether international student comparisons have changed the dynamics of French secondary education policy. We focus on the increasingly significant impact of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD)’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on France, a country previously known for its aversion to international comparisons and its turbulent relationship with the OECD. We argue that not only are transnational pressures – in our study the perception of PISA – crucial determinants for the fate of potential reform measures, but also the capacity of the state to transform its education system and take corrective measures. Along these lines, we also examine the role of historically embedded guiding principles of education, in the French case most notably that of equality (égalité). We focus, in particular, on efforts of French policy-makers to emulate elements of the recent ‘PISA champion’ Finland.

Highlights

In this article, we analyse to what extent international comparative assessments of student performance have changed the dynamics of French secondary education policy
We focus on the increasingly significant impact of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD)’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on France, a country previously known for its aversion to international comparisons and its turbulent relationship with the OECD
The analysis has shown that the PISA study has brought new momentum to French education policy, despite an earlier period of detachment from the OECD

Summary

Kerstin Martens

We address whether international student comparisons have changed the dynamics of French secondary education policy. We argue that are transnational pressures – in our study the perception of PISA – crucial determinants for the fate of potential reform measures, and the capacity of the state to transform its education system and take corrective measures. Along these lines, we examine the role of historically embedded guiding principles of education, in the French case most notably that of equality (égalité).

Introduction

Findings

Conclusions