In France, an ecole maternelle, which serves primarily children aged three to five, is generally divided into three sections: Petite (3-4 years), Moyenne (4-5), and Grande (5-6). There are typically 24 to 30 children per class, each of which has one Maitresse (female teacher) or Maitre (male teacher) and generally an Aide Maternelle (aide).…

This article addresses the inherent tension in the Bologna process between the aim of convergence and the will to maintain the diversity of national higher education (HE) systems, as well as the decentralised and autonomous nature of national policy formulation on Bologna reforms. Starting from an analytical discussion of the concepts of…

The current methods of student evaluation are of doubtful value. An adequate substitute needs to be found. (CK)

Comparative study of the effects of school physical setting, attendance requirements and schedules, and homeroom system on daily lives of secondary school students in The People's Republic of China, Japan, and France based on interviews with three native French residents, five native Japanese residents, and two native Chinese residents. (Contains…

Inequality of educational opportunity, as indicated by the effect of father's occupational status on years of schooling completed, is greater in France than in the U.S. the difference is accounted for by school structural variables, indicating the importance of structure for inequality of opportunity. (Author)

The organization and weekly class schedule of the newly reformed French educational system is described. (DE)

The author spent a year on the administrative council of a French PTA. She discusses the centralization of French education, from testing to teaching methods. Reforms since 1968 include prohibition of homework. Problems of school space, facilities, and construction are noted. (CHK)

School-based management refers to a form of educational administration in which the school becomes the primary unit for decision-making. The book is structured into five parts. In part 1, international developments in school-based decision-making and management are documented and analyzed. Described are developments in Australia, Canada, France,…

Discusses France's 1989 New Policy for Education (NPE), which identifies three ways of preventing academic failure: school policies stressing family involvement and instructional continuity; reorganization of primary education into three training cycles; and assessment of student competencies. Considers NPE's position on knowledge development.…

This paper falls into three parts: a description of the current French educational system and the groups influencing it; presentation of the more pressing educational problems of the 1980s; and a draft of developmental modifications likely to occur if liberals or, alternatively, socialists win political power in the early 1980s. (Author/SJL)

The twin rationales for this study are: (1) that the educational implications of metropolitan conditions deserve further study; and (2) that these implications transcend national boundaries. The study focuses on two facets of metropolitan school systems located in four metropolises: the characteristics of teachers and the patterns of perceived…

Issues in vocationalization of the two-tier system of higher education in France are considered, including vocationally oriented professional courses; the impact of mass education; changing aims of university studies; and issues for the future, such as the balance between short-term and long-term needs. (DB)

This article summarizes results of a 1989 comparative survey of undergraduate education in five European countries, in terms of structures, organization and content of courses, admissions policies, access to education, and trends and prospects in student numbers. The countries reviewed were the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom,…