The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-APE-18e

Bibliographic reference :
Perrenoud, P. (1999). Les systèmes éducatifs face aux inégalités et à l’échec scolaire : une impuissance teintée de lassitude. Dans D. Hexel (dir.), Voyage dans un espace multidimensionnel. Textes réunis en l’honneur de Daniel Blain (pp. 53-69). Genève : Service de la recherche en éducation, Cahier no 6.

Abstract :

After establishing that educational systems are powerless in dealing with inequalities and school failure, Perrenoud analyzes seven mechanisms in an attempt to explain this irrefutable fact:

1) Refusal to be part of the problem. All educational system players shift the blame for school failure onto others (e.g., teachers accuse families, governments blame their predecessors, parents complain but are "school consumers", and so on);

2) Unwillingness to know. There is a lack of knowledge on several accounts (e.g., failure mechanisms, teacher effect and school effect, and so on). In addition, knowledge changes and is controversial (e.g., grade repetition, differentiated education, etc.);

3) Lobbies are an obstacle. Disciplinary lobbies (e.g., teachers' unions) or civil society groups (e.g., organized religion) hinder change;

4) Need for short-term effects. Because of their social representations stem from a poor sociological, demographic and statistical culture, players believe that changes come about instantaneously once the decision to go ahead has been made and they do not realize that time is required, often ten years or so, for the effects of a reform to become noticeable;

5) Teacher training orientations. For educational reforms to be effective, teachers need to support its substance. Since it cannot cover a reform in particular due to reform temporality, basic teacher training should rather emphasize recurrent problems and continuous professional training should emphasize the key features of current policies;

6) Conception of change and of organizations. Reforms can no longer be limited to simply modifying structures and programs without bothering to convince players;

7) Reform steering shortcomings. Decision-makers must work jointly with players who are not officially represented within decision-making bodies (parents, teachers, school management) with regard to reform steering.

Links :
http://www.unige.ch/fapse/SSE/teachers/perrenoud/php.html

Key Words :
Reform Steering, Conception of Change, Teacher Training, Lobbies, Short-term Effects, Social Representations