Social diversity in middle schools

Social segregation between schools is very high in France and may have consequences for students’ academic performance and well-being, as well as, in the longer term, for social cohesion. The authors of the CSEN report (Elise Huillery, Julien Grenet, and Youssef Souidi) sought to assess the impact of the social-mixing initiative in middle schools launched by the Ministry of Education in 2015.

The results show a positive impact on students’ well-being and social integration. However, the initiative does not affect academic performance in the short term. This suggests that it is neither an obvious solution for improving the performance of students from disadvantaged backgrounds nor a threat to the performance of students from more advantaged backgrounds, as is sometimes feared.

This report was written by Julien Grenet, Elise Huillery, and Youssef Souidi.

Abstract

Social segregation between schools is substantial, and may have consequences on students’ academic achievement and well-being, as well as for social cohesion in the longer term. In 2015, the French ministry of Education launched an initiative to promote greater social diversity in middle schools. By comparing students in middle schools participating in this initiative (« pilot middle schools ») with those in similar, non-participating middle-schools (« control middle schools ») we analyse the effects of the measures undertaken on the social composition of participating middle schools, as well as on students’ academic outcomes, and their personal and social well-being. Findings show that :

Measures aimed at increasing social diversity didn’t lead to greater avoidance of the public system in favour of private schooling ;
students enrolled in schools where social diversity increased substantially did not experience any significant change in academic achievement compared with students in control schools, regardless of their socio-economic background, indicating that the policy had neither positive nor negative effects on learning outcomes ;
However, greater social diversity did have positive effects on both personal and social well-being, for students from disadvantaged as well as advantaged backgrounds.

Key takeaways

The establishment of an independent scientific committee in charge of the impact evaluation of an education policy makes it possible to draw rigorous conclusions on the effects of this policy, in order to enlighten public decision-making.
Several tools make it possible to increase social diversity between geographically close schools with contrasting social compositions: merging catchment areas, redrawing school zoning, closing or opening a school, or introducing an attractive educational offer.
Strengthening social diversity in lower secondary schools did not lead to greater avoidance of the private sector among students assigned to the 56 pilot schools, compared with the 56 control middle schools.
Strengthening social diversity in lower secondary schools did not significantly affect learning: the academic results of students in more socially diverse schools are comparable to those of students in control schools, both in continuous assessment and in standardized tests.
Strengthening social diversity had positive effects on a number of non-academic dimensions: advantaged students report higher academic self-esteem, greater optimism, better quality of friendships, and a more favorable attitude toward solidarity. Disadvantaged students also report greater optimism, a better school climate, a greater sense of safety at school, better-quality friendships, and a greater propensity to cooperate.

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Social diversity in middle schools : first results from experiments conducted in France

Abstract

Key takeaways

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