The social inequalities of schooling in France

Abstract

This article analyses the social inequalities of schooling in France insisting on 1) the inequalities of success that appears specially with a precocious differentiation of the acquisitions, 2) the importance of the family cultural inheritance, the educational practices of the families, the investment in education and their relations with the educational system, and 3) the incident of the educational context on the differences between schools and their effects, the distinction between public and private schools, the differentiation in the choice of the school and, finally, the distinction between «good» y «bad» classes. The parents, especially those who have the sufficient cultural capital, the appropriate social networks and the pertinent information, elaborates sometimes a very complex strategies to register their children in the best schools, they have the most qualified and experienced teachers and they are in the most competitive classes, specially with the choice of foreign languages or options.