Presented in Rome at the Editori Laterza publishing house. In bookstores from 20 February
While far from being a magic wand against all problems, a modern school assessment and evaluation system can help Italian schools renew themselves and avoid the risk of decline. How? By producing the data, information and analyses required to understand the weaknesses of the country’s education system and the reasons why it’s lagging. By offering each school the diagnostic tools to improve their work and to achieve better results from their students. Finally, by providing families with an effective compass to orient their decisions in the best direction.
As a strong supporter of this view, and after a long research process, last 19 February in Rome Fondazione Agnelli presented its new research Report, La valutazione della scuola. A che cosa serve e perché è necessaria all’Italia (School Assessment and Evaluation. What it’s for and why Italy needs it), published by Editori Laterza and available in bookstores from 20 February.
After an introduction by Alessandro Laterza, the highlights from the new report were presented by Andrea Gavosto, Director of Fondazione Agnelli; speeches by former Ministers of Education Luigi Berlinguer, Mariastella Gelmini and Francesco Profumo followed. The new President of Invalsi – the Italian National Institute for the Evaluation of Education Systems, Anna Maria Ajello, was also present and contributed to the debate.
The Foundation’s Report also presents a thorough picture of both school evaluation in Italy and the possible solutions we might implement, based on the research’s findings, looking at similar experiences abroad as well as experimental activities carried out in the country.
There is no shortage of dilemmas to face, of course. Who should be the object of the evaluation: individual teachers, schools, or the school system as a whole? What tools should be used? How should the results be used? Most importantly, the real question is how might we speed up the process leading to this National evaluation system, which seems to have slowed down in the past few month as if it were not a priority of Italian schools, while at the same time building teachers’ consensus and trust, overcoming the strong resistances that exist today.
Download the Report summary (in Italian) and press release (in Italian).
Read the Press Review (in Italian).