School, family and community against early school leaving

Preface

Daniel Niclot

Professor Emeritus at the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France

This work takes us on a journey to the heart of the difficulties schools have in taking into account the diversity of pupils in different European countries. As you read, the same ideas appear repeatedly, and we see the same reality again and again. Whether it is in southern or northern Europe, in the west or further east, many pupils leave school without a diploma and without mastering basic skills. This is a personal tragedy for those concerned. It is also a failure for democratic societies that are based on the values of equal opportunity, participation in political and economic life and personal development through knowledge and education. Clearly, school dysfunction reflects a dysfunction of society as a whole.

It is in this context that the authors question the inability of the school to take into account the specific differences, needs and abilities of all pupils. They develop hypotheses and establish lucid and often uncompromising findings. Far from being a simple “state of play”, most chapters propose, suggest and experiment with different solutions. The concrete, pragmatic, action-oriented perspective adopted is obviously one of the main interests of this work, and also one of its main assets. Far from proposing simplistic or “common sense” solutions, the authors enter into the complexity necessary to understand the causes of the difficulties experienced by some pupils. The wide variety of solutions suggested clearly demonstrates that while the causes of school failure are different in each case, so are the remedies. There is no quick fix for school failure.

Despite the diversity of the proposed solutions, however, a common idea emerges despite the differences in the professional status, culture or nationality of the authors. The fight against school failure must be waged within schools, yet the school alone is powerless to change things if it does not open up to its external environment and partners. Parents, the local community, sports or cultural workers, municipal or regional officials, and in some cases representatives of ethnic or national communities, have an essential role to play in remedying school shortcomings. This work demonstrates that opening up the school to the outside world and to society is an essential lever to help all pupils become interested, involved and to improve their abilities to learn and for personal development during their studies.

To irrefutably demonstrate this, the authors follow a rigorous approach. They base their comments on conceptual references from the humanities and social sciences. Their analyses usually involve the collection of empirical data from interviews or surveys conducted by the authors themselves. The interpretations presented in the different chapters are precise and challenging. The solutions suggested have been tested and evaluated. The results obtained, which are scientifically proven, help to challenge many of the stereotypes and preconceived ideas widely shared by the populations of European countries on the difficulty schools and teachers have in taking into account the diversity of pupils’ abilities. This work is proof that educational research can provide answers, and even realistic and socially acceptable solutions to concrete problems posed both by school systems, as well as those that arise in schools.

This publication therefore puts forward a revised, innovative vision in an attempt to solve one of the most serious problems facing schools, that of their inability to involve all pupils in learning. Beyond being a simple vision, it is also a plea for an in-depth transformation of educational practices. The contributions in this book call for a different look at problems and practices in the fight against school failure in Europe, but also far beyond.