Priority Education Zones: Which Resources Produce Which Results? An Evaluation over the 1982-1992 Period

Abstract

In 1982, pilot tests breaking with the idea of equal treatment were introduced in an attempt to do something about persistent school failure rates among the most disadvantaged pupils. These priority education zones (ZEPs) initially set up in a few regions were strengthened and extended in 1989 and 1990 and the measure has been regularly renewed since. It encourages the establishments concerned to develop educational projects and local partnerships by granting them additional resources (appropriations, jobs, hours of teaching, etc.). The aim is to improve educational performance by stimulating new projects. A reduction in class sizes is also coming to be seen as a tool. The changes that ZEP status has brought about for these establishments are evaluated using administrative data on the schools. We show that it is hard to find a significant effect of the ZEP programme on pupils success rates over the 1982-1992 period.Education, Program Evaluation, Compensatory Policy