This paper compares pupils progress along the first two years of middle schools fréquentation, whether these schools are in an E.P.A. or not, initial predictors of attainment being kept under control. In French and mathematics, pupils appear to have slightly weaker gains in E.P.A. than they should have elsewhere. The gap is greater for at risk pupils. E.P.A. seem to have a positive effect on pupils relation to schooling, but not on other attitudes or competenties regarding schoolwork or socialization. The E.P.A. policy effects do vary according to the schools.

This study uses data from an European Project on school self-evaluation. A hundred and one schools experimented with self-evaluation and reported on what they did and what were the outcomes of the process. It is therefore possible to look at which characteristics of the process are associated with a positive appreciation of its effects. This analysis is conducted by confronting 2 general models of self-evaluation, named here the "technical" model and the "participating" models. The 2 models are presented, then their ability to explain the success of a process of self-evaluation is compared. The explaining power of both models appear to be rather close, a result which makes it relevant to look at their optimal combination.

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