Maxence Arcy and his family moved to a suburb of Toulouse in 2004. The father of six bought a place on a housing estate in a neighborhood which had the worst educational record in the region because he couldn't afford to live in another city.
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Arcy, who migrated from Morocco in 1984 in search of work, says that there were only two groups of people living on the estate at the time. It was like that in the 21st century.
In an attempt to write a new chapter in education equality, local authorities closed the schools in France's fourth largest city and instead bussed the 1,140 affected pupils to high-achieving facilities in the prosperous downtown.
The theory was that a rising tide would lift all boats. Social determinism would be countered and all children would benefit if the students from the suburbs of La Reynerie and Mirail were put into schools of proven success.
Méric, who helped develop the scheme, said there were districts in Toulouse with 90 or 95 percent immigrant populations. Opportunities are hard to come by for them. Young children living there have the right to succeed.
Children aged 11 to 15 are taken to nearly a dozen different schools in the city center in journeys that take less than an hour. The school principals and teachers are supported by six "Social mix masters" who help facilitate logistics such as transport and tackle any problems that arise, such as dealing with parent concerns
The test results have been notable for five years. The drop-out rate for students living on the three estates after taking the Brevet was almost 50 percent. The rate has fallen and the grades have gone up. Fears that the scheme would lead wealthier families to move their children into the private sector have been alleviated by the fact that almost all of the children have stayed in the same school.
It was important that the welcoming colleges had good academic levels. It was very successful. The acceptance of diversity across the city has been promoted by the fact that there has not been segregation in them. Middle school is similar to college in France.
Eduardo Mosqueda is a professor of access to education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He says that consideration needs to be given to the amount of funding it needs.
He says he can't help but wonder what the differences are in resources available to students in the area compared to students in the area. If 56 million was invested into improving the schools that were closed, how much would student achievement improve?
The high student to teacher ratio of four to one, which came at a significant cost, was a result of the poor academic performance of the school.
Mosqueda thinks bussing might lead to more pressure on children. He says that students who are bussed are in new school environments where it may be difficult to integrate.
Adam, the 13-year-old son of Maxence Arcy, has had no issues so far. Arcy said there was a bus that would pick him up. There are other students with him. He has improved his grades. He would like to become an engineer.
The initiative is a good example of how to improve social diversity. He said that they were always for the project. We wanted our child to see more than one culture. The bus works well and we were just worried about the distance.
The need for extensive dialogue between all parties has been one of the key learnings from the scheme. 50 public meetings were held before the bussing project was launched, helping address the concerns of those who voiced opposition to the project.
Parents were worried about the distances the children would have to travel and a few teachers were resistant enough to go on strike to try and stop the changes.
Méric said it wasn't comfortable at the beginning. Through administration and the local level, there was resistance. We listened to what they had to say.
The director of L'cole et Nous said that the lessons could be useful. She says that it leads to high dropout rates, school violence, racism and teacher burnout. In certain areas of France, social and racial diversity simply doesn't exist, according to the person who has held her position since 2003 and was last year awarded the prestigious National Order of Merit.
The fact that many families don't own cars was one of the first concerns for parents of children who were going to be bussed further away. Parents were given free bus passes to travel from the estates to the schools to see their children. It was proven that all of the fears were false. It is an opportunity for their children. It's something that's never been done before.
There is a project here. Two new schools have been built in Toulouse this year to make sure permanent social mixing in the classrooms and promote a more diverse staff.
Encouraged by the results, several other cities and towns across France are now studying ways to launch their own bussing initiatives.
Regional departments and ministers have come to see us. I hope the scheme continues to grow.
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