France’s Curriculum
EINY teaches more than the national curriculum of France. But it is hard to understand EINY without appreciating France’s curriculum. And the French curriculum is quite foreign to Americans used to thinking of public or private K-12 education in this country.
So, to help Americans and others appreciate the French curriculum, we offer the following (simplified) chart:
United States
| Parents have the right to “home school” their children. |
| Most private schools are religious, and each develops its own curriculum, largely free of governmental interference. |
| Each public school district develops its own program. Some states provide broad guidelines to school districts. At the local and state levels, there are ongoing political and legal battles over curriculum content (e.g. evolution), religion in schools, and public funding of religious schools. |
| No national curriculum. |
| There is great variability in the training, recruitment, and salary of K-12 teachers. |
France
| Children are required to attend a school that teaches the national curriculum. |
| Public and private schools cover the same curriculum. |
| The curriculum for public and private schools is developed by corps of experts operating under the Education Ministry. It serves as a unifying statement of what all French children should learn. And it is the subject of considerable national pride. |
| The curriculum leaves the selection of teaching methods up to individual teachers. |
| Teachers are employees of France's Ministry of Education, selected by competitive, national examination. |
