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Cultural Commentary: Thinking About Education: French And American Primary Schools, Barbara Apstein

Bridgewater Review

Despite persistent reports of the “Americanization” of France, and the French success of American cultural exports as diverse as Jerry Lewis, fast food, ET, and the Sony Walkman, France retains its distinctive traditions in many less visible but more significant ways. A six month sabbatical last spring gave our family a chance to compare French primary schools with our own, and in the process to examine some of our assumptions about the education of young children.