France reforms its “priority education policy” to reduce inequalities in underprivileged areas

In 1981, France implemented a policy (the “priority education policy” aimed at strengthening education provision in the most underprivileged areas This is done by allocating additional resources, both in terms of teaching personnel and finance to all primary and secondary schools based in these areas. It is estimated that this policy affects about 20 % of pupils in France. However, studies conducted by the Department of Education reveal that pupils enrolled in the schools benefitting from the “priority education policy” continue to suffer from learning difficulties (Depp, Note d’information n° 13.07, mai 2013. Moreover PISA 2012 results illustrate that France is the OECD country in which a pupil’s socio-economic background is most likely to determine their academic performance and that this situation has in fact deteriorated since 2003. In short, the “priority education policy” does not seem to bring about sufficient results. Because of this, the Minister of Education decided to reform the implementation of the “priority education policy” (eligibility criteria, responsibilities, funding, etc.), while reaffirming its underlying principles. Consultations were organised (the "Assises de l’Education prioritaire" and are now underway (November-December 2013) in the académies. In early 2014, the Minister of Education and the Minster responsible for educational attainment will make the results of the policy reform public. Meanwhile, the government has implemented a number of measures from the beginning of the 2013/2014 school year to improve the learning environment in the most socio-economically underprivileged areas.