The French Zones D'Education Prioritaire: Much Ado About Nothing?

Roland Benabou (), Francis Kramarz () and Corinne Prost

No 5085, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: We provide an assessment of the French ZEP (Zones d’Education Prioritaire), a programme started in 1982 that channels additional resources to schools in disadvantaged areas and encourages the development of new teaching projects. Focusing on middle-schools, we first evaluate the impact of the ZEP status on resources, their utilization (teacher bonuses versus teaching hours) and key establishments characteristics such as class sizes, school enrolments, teachers’ qualifications and experience, and student composition and mobility. We then estimate the impact of the ZEP programme on four measures of individual student achievement: obtaining at least one diploma by the end of schooling, reaching 8th grade, reaching 10th grade and success at the Baccalauréat. We take into account the endogeneity of the ZEP status by using both differences in differences and instrumental variables based on political variables. The results are the same in all cases: there is no impact on student success of the ZEP programme.

Keywords: class size; disadvantaged schools; education policy; education production function; School finance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I21 I22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-pbe and nep-ure
Date: Written
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