On Day 4 of our adventure, our team visited Le Lycee Robert Doisneau in Vaulx-en-Velin. A “lycee” is the equivalent of an American high school with students entering after “college”, the equivalent of a middle school. The lycee we visited is not what many would consider a premiere institution. Not if you look at certain indicators, but something special is indeed occurring in the school.
We were told that there are 2,300 lycees in France and that this school is ranked around 2,200 on the general baccalaureate given each year to qualified candidates. Our gracious host, Mme Marie-Francoise, showed us “value added” data that tells a different story. Students at this school are obviously being afforded educational programming designed to support their continuous growth. A large percentage of students have shown growth on the general baccalaureate over the past three years. The percentage of students taking the “bac general” increased from 71% (2009) to 77% (2011). For those students taking the harder pathway through Technological studies, their scores have gone from 53% (2009) to 67% (2011). How is this possible for a school that serves such an overwhelming number of students at-risk for dropping out, a concern expressed by an Inspector who joined our conference on Day 3.? He went so far as to say reducing the drop out rate is a high priority for him and the Ministry.
At Le Lycee Robert Doisneau, students are truly at-risk for dropping out. 17% of the students at this school have repeated one or more grades prior to entering the lycee. This is substantially higher than the regional (12.8) and national (11.1) percentage for “redoublements”. Additionally, 55% of the parents, whose children attend this school, are currently unemployed. Again, this is substantially higher than the regional (19.1) and national (25.4) percentage for familial unemployment rates.
With this knowledge, I was puzzled as to how continuous growth could occur in a system that claims to have little instructional leadership. Fortunately, we were able to get to see for ourselves what was really occurring, and it is a special place for some of the regions most under-privileged students. I was reminded of two critical elements necessary for students to enjoy the best educational opportunities. 1.) Provide learning opportunities that engage students in real world problem-solving scenarios, and 2.) Create individualized intervention opportunities for those students in need. Both of these were in place and supported by local community partnerships.
When we toured the school, Mme Marie-Francoise took us into a technology space where three students were sharing a power point presentation in English. The presentation was focused on the creation of an “econome”, or environmental-friendly home. Students wrote and spoke in English and made this presentation to their English instructor after having worked through the content of the assignment with the Technology teacher. The goal was not just to create a power point and learn English though. Au contraire mon ami! When we entered the adjoining technology room, we saw that the students built a physical model of this econome roughly 6 feet long and 4 feet high and wide. We later learned that the students would participate in the coming months to build the econome on the campus of the school as a place for students to study. Sacrebleu! The students were actually addressing several rigorous standards (American term) with one very engaging project.
We also watched a robot dance and perform tai chi movements. The school purchased the robot, but the students had to program the moves. We also saw opportunities to create models of drones to explore how they move, hand dryers to explore the concept of convection and a three-dimensional printer. When asked how the school could afford these opportunities, the school leader explained that this is through the generosity of community partnerships. Apparently, businesses in France pay a tax to support the school system; however, they can dedicate those funds directly to schools in their community. Knowing the needs of the students and the school in this under-privileged community, local businesses are supporting the education programming at Le Lycee Robert Doisneau.
Engagement alone will not necessarily raise student achievement results, and this was not the only local partnership that supported student learning opportunities. Mme Marie-Francoise explained how the schedule is designed to support the needs of various students. 30 students from Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon (ENS) come to the school and tutor these young adults. 15 students from a local engineering university also work with the students in the engineering pathway. Interventions occur from 4:00-7:00 pm on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. The only lament of the leader was that more support was not possible to help every student in need.
Flashback: On Day 3, a panel shared the framework and philosophy of the Mid-Career Program in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, the panel discussed the four program strands and corresponding leadership domains (instructional, organizational, public and evidence-based).
It is apparent that the staff at Le Lycee Robert Doisneau has many of these leadership qualities in place, and it is leading to increasing rates of student achievement. I look forward to continuing this partnership and following their future success.
Penn GSE French-American Educational Leadership Knowledge Exchange 