PRIVATIZING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM - LESSONS FROM THE FRENCH

I am by no means a Francofile. I reluctantly admit I know very little about French culture outside of what I read in “A Tale of Two Cities” (great read by the way), and their food - croissants, brie cheese and frogs’ legs, (And yes, they do taste like chicken).  However, I am very interested in their public education system. 

France has over 50 years’ experience with privatizing their public school system. The Debre Act of 1959 made it possible to subcontract educational services to accredited private school, the equivalent of our charter schools. Like our charter schools, France’s reforms revolve around the importance of setting high educational standards through a national curriculum and the enforcement of rigorous testing. Also like our charter schools, France’s attempts at school reform have caused many financial and political-accountability problems. 

So how has France’s children faired? Not well. According to a report by Time Magazine, “One-fifth of 11-year-olds finishing primary school still have serious difficulty with reading and writing. By the age of 16, almost as many — about 18% — leave school with no formal qualifications whatsoever.” In a 2010 report by the Cour des Comptes, the French equivalent of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, French officials stated that although the annual budget for education is the single largest area of government spending, ahead even of defense, the system is failing as many of the 10 million children in its care. The report also stated, "The large number of young people with major problems at school shows that the educational system as it's constituted today isn't capable of responding to their needs. 

After more than a half century of privatizing public schools, France’s school system has not become the great societal leveler, but tragically, a place where children from poor backgrounds do far worse than kids from better-off backgrounds. It turns out that race and class are the major determining factor in student scores. Sound familiar?

So what lessons should take from France’s long standing educational experiment? Privatization of public schools is not the systemic reform that will ensure equitable and efficient public schools. Since the late 1980’s we have implemented similar tactics in the form of charter schools and have had the same results as France, often exacerbating existing inequalities in our schools.

Let’s not waste another 25 years. It is time – past time – to admit that charter school exemptions from public school accountability measures only increase inequality and stratification. We need to improve our existing public schools. Educators and policymakers need to develop future policies that will be more responsive to the needs of all children.

This is not a new message. Historian and Research Professor of Education at New York University Diane Ravitch is a passionate supporter of public schools and prolific opponent of charters, stating, “Our schools cannot improve if charter schools siphon away the most motivated students and their families in the poorest communities from the regular public schools.” I couldn’t have said it better.

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.