Séminaire scientifique de l'OSC 2019-2020

98, rue de l'Université 75007 Paris - salle Annick Percheron

vendredi 13 mars 2020 de 12h30 à 14h

Two years at the Opera: Assessing the effectiveness of a project-based-learning program at the National Opera of Paris

Philippe Coulangeon, Denis Fougère

Directeurs de recherche CNRS, Sciences Po - OSC

This presentation deals with the evaluation of the academic impact of an artistic and cultural education program - Dix mois d'école et d'Opéra (DMEO) - carried out by the Paris Opera and the regional education authorities in Paris, Créteil and Versailles since the beginning of the 1990s.

This program is aimed more particularly at middle school classes located in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

We first describes the history, aims and characteristics of the program. We then developed an analysis of the impact of the program on school performances (score at the Brevet des collèges – 9th grade) of the students in about 50 middle schools classes involved in the program between 2003 and 2012.

We use a counterfactual framework, based on the comparison between treated and control students by means of propensity score matching and related treatment effect models.

Our results suggest a modest but significant impact of participation in DMEO, at least for those who actually participate for the full duration of the program. These results also display a differentiation of this impact by gender and social origin of students.

Finally, the presentation underlines the uncertain nature of these effects. We suggest that these effects are probably due more to changes in the conditions under which pupils are supervised and motivated, to the forms of involvement and coordination of teaching teams than to the acquisition of academic skills in the strict sense.

L'inscription au séminaire est obligatoire - Registration is mandatory

Suggestions de lecture

• The Impact of Participation in Extracurricular Activities on School Achievement of French Middle School Students: Human Capital and Cultural Capital Revisited, Social Forces, vol. 97, n° 1, 2018, p. 55-90.