This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/31/europa-french-maths-ecoles-normales-superieures
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Why do the French excel at maths? Thank the écoles normales supérieures | Why do the French excel at maths? Thank the écoles normales supérieures |
| (8 days later) | |
| The French are good at maths. OK, so their 15-year-olds don't exactly stand out among their international peers in the Pisa studies that the OECD conducts. But the situation is very different at higher education and research level. | The French are good at maths. OK, so their 15-year-olds don't exactly stand out among their international peers in the Pisa studies that the OECD conducts. But the situation is very different at higher education and research level. |
| This at least is what one can infer from the success of French graduates with international headhunters and, at a higher level still, the list of recipients of Fields medals, the equivalent of the Nobel prize for maths. With 11 medals, France is second only to the US (13). | This at least is what one can infer from the success of French graduates with international headhunters and, at a higher level still, the list of recipients of Fields medals, the equivalent of the Nobel prize for maths. With 11 medals, France is second only to the US (13). |
| What is the secret of this excellence? For the Fields medal-winner Cédric Villani, who is professor of mathematics at Lyon University, "the écoles normales supérieures (ENS) play a fundamental role". | What is the secret of this excellence? For the Fields medal-winner Cédric Villani, who is professor of mathematics at Lyon University, "the écoles normales supérieures (ENS) play a fundamental role". |
| Ten French prizewinners are alumni of these higher education establishments. "No other institution in the world can boast of such a result," the ENS maths department enthuses. | Ten French prizewinners are alumni of these higher education establishments. "No other institution in the world can boast of such a result," the ENS maths department enthuses. |
| The colleges provide an environment perfectly suited to mathematicians. They recruit the brightest pupils and set the bar high. "The test for getting into the ENS is an examination of natural ability to do maths to a certain level," says Olivier Faron, head of the Lyon ENS. | The colleges provide an environment perfectly suited to mathematicians. They recruit the brightest pupils and set the bar high. "The test for getting into the ENS is an examination of natural ability to do maths to a certain level," says Olivier Faron, head of the Lyon ENS. |
| "Once they have got in, students enter a cohort where all these talented young people stimulate one another. This framework lends itself well to the emergence of talent. And, in mathematics, talents emerge very early." | "Once they have got in, students enter a cohort where all these talented young people stimulate one another. This framework lends itself well to the emergence of talent. And, in mathematics, talents emerge very early." |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday. |