The circulation of ideas among research, the media, and public debate in education constitutes both a scientific and a democratic challenge. On 22 September 2026, ENS de Lyon will host the international seminar “Improving the Circulation of Ideas on Education Policy within Society and Public Debate”. This event will gather researchers and science outreach professionals to address a central question: how do ideas circulate among research, media, public opinion, and education policy actors?

The seminar will bring into dialogue two theoretical frameworks that have so far remained distinct: the configurations de dicibilité (configurations of sayability) (Pons, 2024) and the ideas-informed society (Brown & Luzmore, 2025). The sessions will examine the mechanisms through which collective ignorance can persist in educational debates, while exploring how mediation formats – such as Édudébat, a four-page controversy note produced by IFÉ – can contribute to narrowing the gap between available knowledge and public deliberation.