This article aims to show the value of the concept of policy trajectory to compare, from a long-term perspective, the transformations of education policies in the context of globalisation. After discussing the scope and limitations of the analyses of the concept in the literature -- descriptive, sequential, metaphorical and building on the works…

In this article, we analyse changes in the contemporary management of private Catholic schools under State contract in France since the 1980s. Writing from a "policy sociology" perspective, we use data from previous studies on policy and on public and private schools as well as from an ongoing research project comparing policies of…

Identifies differences between primary school teachers in England and France in the areas of conceptions of accountability, teacher role in relation to parents, and the nature of teaching. Proposes six broad themes based on teachers' perceptions of their work: collectivism/individualism, universalism/particularism, role…

Uses France and England--because of their radically different institutional and ideological traditions in education--to illustrate common trends in educational accountability. Explains general trends affecting advanced capitalist societies at the present time, e.g., the use of corporate management approaches in education and the adoption of…

Publication of school rankings based on raw data for various performance indicators was found to influence school choice and mobility strategies for elite and middle-class parents in England and France. Rather than promoting school improvement, publication led to unintended school coping strategies, such as marketing activities, student exclusion…