The social mix up in schools: a Non-public policy

Social diversity at school is often invoked as an imperative in public debates, without however being translated into a public policy. In the French context, the almost total absence of institutional mechanisms meant to foster diversity sheds light on the dark side of the educational system: the gradual withdrawal of the state from the regulation of the migration of students between schools, which is the cause of an increased segregation. In recent years, social diversity has been used as the main argument in order to justify the suppression of the zoning system & the free choice of the school, thus exacerbating the dynamics of competition between schools & families. Similarly to what happens in urban policy, the rhetoric of social diversity seems to express generosity while it actually contributes to diffusing a discourse of commiseration about suburban schools & to imposing a neoliberal vision of the educational field. Adapted from the source document.