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Grande Ă©cole
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Grande Ă©cole

French education
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Grande Ă©cole, (French: “great school”) Any of several preeminent specialized institutions of higher learning in France. The École Polytechnique was founded in 1794 to recruit and train technicians for the army. The École Normale SupĂ©rieure serves mainly to prepare future university and lycĂ©e (senior secondary-school) teachers. The École Normale d’Administration trains the highest ranks of civil servants. The internationally renowned CollĂšge de France (founded 1530) is a research institution that offers lectures by eminent scholars; it does not grant degrees or certificates. Other grandes Ă©coles include institutes for advanced study in social science, architecture, and the arts.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannette L. Nolen.