France: Permanence and change
Abstract
The chapter focuses on important evolutions of educational issues nested in a broader ideological and economic context in France since 2000. It first describe these changes, the transformation of the ideological context they reflect, and the new framework they set up for political issues and concrete reforms. Then it analyzes four main aspects of education reform: the growing individualistic perspective on education, the stress put on choice, the development of autonomy and decentralization, and the obsession with evaluation and benchmarking. Lastly, in conclusion, it discusses the anticipated reform trends in France in an ever-changing political context