Histoire de l'éducation, n°159/2023

The priority education policy is forty years old. Since 1981, it has experienced strong driving times but also times of ministerial disinterest. The fight against school failure, the primary and major objective, concerned all territories, whether urban or rural. The objectives set have evolved with varying policy directions. However, it has introduced a number of changes into the French education system, which have since been generalized in schools and colleges in particular. It has enabled new educational and professional approaches, both inside and outside the school. The academic success of all involved the mobilization of actors at all hierarchical levels, from the rector to the establishment, an inter-degree collaboration but also partnership with local actors in the educational, social and cultural fields. To illustrate the complexity and diversity of the Priority Education Areas (ZEP in French) that have become Priority Education Networks (REP in French), in time and space, the contributions in this dossier are based on local sources, recently deposited in departmental archives. The final interview with a leading national player – she came across this policy throughout her career and was heavily involved in certain periods– provides complementary elements for a better understanding of this education policy with a social purpose