Preparation in Paris

In November, I visited Paris and the American University of Paris. In my travels, I learned about college life at a Parisian university and about the new early childhood program established by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Intending to hear about college life in Paris, I encountered more information than I had anticipated about the new early childhood program in France. This visit connected the early stages of formal learning with college life, proving that education is never-ending.

Upon visiting AUP a small and niche university for undergrad and grad students from all around the globe, I was able to get a glimpse of college life in Paris. The city of Paris is the campus for AUP, like New York City is the campus for New York University. Like other major cities, space was at a premium but AUP made the most of their small quarters. Housing and dormitory facilities were scattered around the city. While most classes and activities are in one central location, students have to travel by foot or by train to get to some classes and locations. It is doubtful that anyone complains about this situation considering they are in the beautiful city of Paris, blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.

Our tour guide, Wyatt, told us AUP was the oldest American university in Europe and about half of his classmates are from the US, while the other half are from other parts of the world. This university uses the US college system and follows those guidelines, which makes AUP stand out from other Parisian universities. Wyatt, a California native and graduate of Georgetown University, felt educationally prepared in most areas compared to his international peers and noted the value of studying abroad. He said that makes himself available to school-sponsored trips all over Europe and a strong AUP internship program. The student body consists of 1200 students from 103 countries. Eleven percent of students are French, while 60% are from the US and 45% receive need based financial aid.

On our visit of AUP, we met with an adult student, Edith. She is a mother of two young children interested in furthering her education. She noted that she and her Algeria-immigrant husband have sometimes had a difficult time financially, but she absolutely loves France. Born and raised in Florida, she moved to France before marrying. Two children later, she and her husband have established lives in Paris. She is so grateful that President Macron has initiated a new early childhood program in France. Edith said the money she is saving on childcare and the additional time she now has will help her further her education, hence the reason she was visiting AUP. Although the early childhood program is only a few months old now, she feels that her son is learning much more than he would otherwise have learned without this program. The program has early childhood students in for school for six week cycles with  two week breaks in between. There is a sliding scale fee program. She also felt this initiative would help immigrant families as it would force them to send their students to school at an earlier age, giving them an advantage they otherwise would not have had while affording their parents some child care relief at a nominal cost.

While research on the benefits of early childhood is mixed, there are multiple studies attesting to positive outcomes resulting from preschool programs. A study published in 2015 found that children who started school earlier were more likely to be inattentive or hyperactive in class in later years (Dee & Sievertsen, 2015). However, other research indicates that if the early childhood program is of sound quality, the benefits will last a lifetime, especially among students of lower socio-economic status (van Huizen & Plantenga, 2018). Additionally, Melhuish found “consistent and enduring benefits” of preschool programs beginning at ages 3 and 4 compared to students who began school in kindergarten or older. In particular, this research noted that former preschool students had “higher educational levels, incomes, socioeconomic status, rates of health insurance coverage and lower rates of substance abuse and legal problems.” (Melhuish, 2011). A study by Karoly, Kilburn, Cannon confirms that early childhood programs lead to future economic benefits for the student. (Karoly, Kilburn & Cannon, 2005.)

We were able to experience how these two schools, while very different from each other in many ways, both focused on preparation. The American University of Paris prepared its students to be global citizens through having a campus in Paris, promoting internships and hosting trips all over Europe. The French government emphasized preparation through the implementation of their new early childhood program allowing and encouraging all young learners to attend school at a reduced and sometimes free of cost. Parisians are preparing for the future through education. Shouldn’t we all be doing that?

References:
Dee, T. S., & Sievertsen, H. H. (2018). The gift of time? School starting age and mental health. Health economics, 27(5), 781-802.

Karoly, L.A., Killburn, M.R., & Cannon, J.S. (2005). Proven benefits of Early Childhood interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005.

Melhuish, E. C. (2011). Preschool matters. Science, 333(6040), 299-300.

Van Huizen, T., & Plantenga, J. (2018). Do children benefit from universal Early Childhood education and care? A meta-analysis of evidence from natural experiments. Economics of Education Review, 66, 206-222.

Walker, S. P., Chang, S. M., Vera-Hernández, M., & Grantham-McGregor, S. (2011). Early childhood stimulation benefits adult competence and reduces violent behavior. Pediatrics, 127(5), 849-857.

First Post - Visit to Italy

Welcome to my blog about schools around the world. There’s a universality around the world when it comes to students, that much we know. Yet some schools share similarities and some contrast in even the most basic ways. I’m on a quest to find the commonalities in education across the oceans with the hope that schools can learn from each other, exchange ideas and connect for the betterment of our students. 

I work in a wonderful, small but growing, P-12 school district in northern New Jersey. We try innovative initiatives and are open to many new ideas. If research supports it and the end result will benefit our students, our faculty, administration and Board of Education trustees are willing to try it. 

In July 2019, my colleague and I visited a private school for students between the ages of four and 18 in a major metropolitan city in Italy. Specific details of this school will be slightly altered, masked or omitted to protect the confidentiality of their students and families. School administrators graciously spent a few hours with us on this hot day in July. They gave us a tour and explained how schooling works not only in this private school but also in the country. During our tour, I saw that this prestigious private school with tuition charges approximately $24,000 per year, had the same interactive TVs that we recently purchased, used a similar online reading program that we use, and are riding the same flexible seating wave we are riding. I found the commonalities to be astounding. Over 4,000 miles separated our schools yet our philosophies, our educational beliefs and our initiatives were simpatico. 

In this era of rampant, domestic school shootings, school security and student safety is on the forefront of so many, if not all, educational initiatives. The same seemed true for our international counterparts. An armed Italian police officer checked our credentials and his visitor list to make sure our taxi was allowed to enter the gated campus. Similarly our NJ district has a very tight security protocols for visitors including a person retention vestibule, bullet proof doors, closed circuit cameras feeding to the local police station, and a identification management system that scans IDs against the sex offender registry. 

Major European cities are generally on high alert due to potential terrorism, especially after the 2015 Paris attack. I have visited this major Italian city several times in my life and my last visit was in 2011. This time around, I felt a deep, intense and coordinated police presence - one I did not notice eight years ago. These local, federal and military officers seemed strategically placed around the city. This coordination clearly impacts the school system as the principal of this private school said all schools in the area have a police presence. The elementary principal explained to us that in times of high threat levels, the Italian military would be present on campus in addition to the police guard. Similarly, when we experience high threat levels, we see an increased police presence as well. 

Academically, this English-speaking school offered weekly library, physical education, language and music classes. They also offered Arabic, French, Italian, Chinese and Spanish language options. Students who do not speak English take an English as a Second Language support class. Students with mild special needs attend this school in an inclusive classroom setting but students with more challenging special needs often attend public school, as public schools can better serve the needs of these students. Students are evaluated for special needs in the hospital, rather than by the school district.

Standardized testing does not begin until middle school however each school system is free to create their own internal assessment system to periodically gauge student learning. There is absolutely no early childhood testing and the notion that I would even ask such a thing made this educator of over 30 years frown. She seemed perplexed at the thought that early childhood testing existed anywhere. In NJ, state standardized testing begins in third grade. Middle schoolers take exams and the high school students participate in the International Baccalaureate program. 

Each class averages approximately 16-24 students per class. Elementary students are exposed to the recorder and the ukulele and some parents opt to pay for music lessons as an enrichment during lunchtime. Students in this private school eat lunch provided by the school. Although it was more common in the past and still happens in some areas, students are allowed to go home for lunch but many working parents cannot take advantage of this. Therefore, most students eat in school.

Although they have many electronic laptops and iPads, they are not a 1:1 school system. Teachers must reserve time slots to borrow laptop or iPad carts. There is also a rarely used computer lab that the administration is considering disbanding or re-purposing. Some students bring their own devices from home. 

The vice principal explained to me that there is high teacher turnover, as it is expensive to live in this major city and teachers feel their salaries are low. Teachers do contribute to a pension system but must wait until they are 67 years old to begin collecting. 

I saw a genuine care for students during this visit. These administrators enjoy their work, respect their families and like their students. The office was organized, the building was immaculate, the view was impeccable and the facilities were updated. The school felt like a positive and enjoyable place to work. The administrators discussed with ease their philosophies of education and their feelings on childhood development. We found ourselves agreeing with each other throughout the conversation. I was mesmerized by how this school in Italy and our school in NJ paralleled in philosophies, structure and facilities. Education trends have changed so much in the last few years and it seems educators face similar challenges across oceans and all over the world.

Education Changes the World