The Dynamics and Social Outcomes of Education Systems

Jan Germen Janmaat, Marie Duru-Bellat, Andy Green and Philippe Méhaut (editors), 2013, The Dynamics and Social Outcomes of Education Systems, Basingstoke (Hampshire, UK), Palgrave Macmillan, series 'Education Economy and Society', 350 p.

Les systèmes éducatifs à travers le monde occidental ne sont-ils pas de plus en plus similaires, en raison de l'influence des discours et des organisations transnationales ?
L'éducation est-elle la panacée face à tous les problèmes de cohésion sociale et de citoyenneté  ?
L'ouvrage examine sous des angles critiques ces deux questions. Il montre qu'en fait, de nombreux aspects des systèmes d'éducation diffèrent dans les pays occidentaux, et que les principes mis en oeuvre sont variés. Les auteurs suggèrent en outre que l'élévation du niveau moyen d'éducation a peu de chance d'être une stratégie efficace pour promouvoir la cohésion sociale. Plus prometteuses sont les politiques asurant la promotion de l'apprentissage tout au long de la vie, du pré-scolaire à la formation pour adultes. 

Some scholars argue that education systems across the western world are becoming increasingly similar due to the influence of transnational discourses and organizations. Others believe that education is the panacea for all problems of social cohesion. After all, aren't the well-educated usually more tolerant, civically engaged and trusting than the poorly educated? This book critically examines both claims. It finds that western countries still differ markedly on key aspects of their education systems and that these differences reflect distinct political traditions and different responses to a set of competing normative and political principles. The findings further suggest that raising the average education level is unlikely to be an effective strategy for promoting social cohesion. Instead, more promising are policies targeting the opposite ends of the lifelong learning continuum: universalizing pre-school education and care and promoting adult education with a pronounced second chance character.

Table des matières - Contents

PART I: THE VARIATION AND DYNAMICS OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS

• Convergent and Divergent Trends in Education Systems, 1990 to 2010
• From Upper Secondary to Further Education
• Lifelong Learning Regimes Versus VET Systems in Europe
• Formal or Actual Convergence? Three Cases of Hybridisation
• Curriculum Patterns in Citizenship Education

PART II: THE SOCIAL OUTCOMES OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS

• Social Cohesion as Paradigm
• Pre-School Education and Care: A 'Win-Win' Policy? 
• Educational Models and their Impact on Student Attitudes
• Educational Differentiation and Inequalities of Civic Engagement
• Lifelong Learning and Social Cohesion
• Education and Social Cohesion in a Comparative Perspective
• The Mismatch between Level of Education and Job Requirements
• Trends in Civic Competences