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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Évaluer la démocratisation de l'enseignement : la situation française à l'épreuve des comparaisons internationales

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Democratization is quite a difficult question, from both a methodological and theoretical point of view, especially when international comparisons are aimed at. Must one consider this process like the diffusion of the good, or focus on competition between groups for acceeding to it ? Indicators will not be the same, neither results, according to the perspective adopted. European comparisons show that if a majority of countries has chosen to equalize educational opportunities through opening access to school, less numerous are those which have tried to act more directly upon the inequalities conveyed by its operating. France has chosen the openness strategy with some delay, one factor being the persisting tracks within lower secondary school. But this country firmly opened access to education afterwards, while being still characterized with stronger social inequalities than countries such as Britain or Sweden. However, France would face weaker inequalities at tertiary level, due to the impressive expansion of this level. Across the board, openness, a way a priori simple to equalize, goes along with some important problems.