This contribution wants to draw up an overview in the way in which some works from educational sciences which were published in the international journal Carrefours de l’éducation analysed, from the socio-historical viewpoint, the movement from the comprehensive period to the post-comprehensive school. Work on education highlighted: 1) the development of the reflexive practice of the teachers and its place in the Europe of education; 2) the various devices which make possible to provide education for new and delicate public or which promote the equal opportunity via the creation of excellence boarding school accessible to the underprivileged pupils. They show. They also show the current hesitations of educational institutions as regards finalities of their actions. For the training, researchers with the criticizes posture showed that after the promotion of the democratisation of the systems, some European countries wanted to generalise the diploma, imposing with the validation of learning through experience an individual right to certification (n°34). With these works, the comprehensive perspective is transformed in its bases and translated in new policies and devices which at the same time comply with global orientation while preserving equality ideals.