The (2020) reform of initial teacher training in France: between requirements and realities

Abstract

Teacher training in France has undergone three reforms in less than twenty years. Each new government that comes to power sets out, in line with its own party manifesto, to renew teacher training which is deemed partly responsible for the failures of the French education system. These reforms are met with a mixed response from teacher trainers. This article provides a case study of how the latest reform launched in 2019 is playing out at the INSPE (Institut national supérieur du professorat et de l’éducation / National Higher Institute for Teaching and Education) of University X. It will attempt to shed light on the way in which local actors, the INSPE management team, and master’s pedagogical teams are implementing this reform by putting together the MEEF (Métiers de l’enseignement, de l’éducation et de la formation / Teaching, Education, and Training Professions) master’s programme proposal. In particular, it will focus on the way in which different categories of trainers, both vocational and academic, adhere to top-down recommendations.