Marco Catarci

Teachers' Professional Development in Schools: Rhetoric versus Reality.

Across the country of Ethiopia, a centrally planned and prescribed professional development programme was implemented in schools, with the intention of enhancing teachers’ knowledge, skills and disposition, thereby improving student learning and achievement. This article explores and describes the lived experiences of teachers involved in continuous professional development in Ethiopian secondary schools. Grounded in constructivist and critical perspectives, data from the study illuminate that there was a disparity between what is conveyed rhetorically about professional development programmes and the actual practices in schools. The major barriers besetting the realization of teachers’ professional development were the narrow conception of professional development, a managerial approach to implementing professional development initiatives, ineffective educational leadership, appalling staff needs and motivation, and the intensification of teachers’ work.

Intercultural education in the European context: key remarks from a comparative study

The article focuses on some findings of a comparative study carried out by a network of scholars and researchers who are active in the field of intercultural education in the European context in the main ‘old immigration countries’ (United Kingdom, France and Germany), ‘new immigration countries’ (Italy, Spain and Greece) and some northern European countries (Netherlands and Sweden). The scholars involved in the study highlight that a structural ‘segregation’ of students with different cultural and social backgrounds can be largely observed in European schools. In fact, the long tradition of cultural and language homogeneity in several European education systems has in many cases led to the isolation of immigrant students in schools when they are placed in the contexts of lower social and economic opportunities. Another issue highlighted by the study relates to social equity as a major challenge for intercultural education. Inequalities between immigrant students and their native peers must be addressed by an intercultural approach that is able not only to promote cultural understanding but can also provide effective opportunities for immigrant students, challenging the problems of lack of achievement among immigrant students. A gap between statements of intercultural principles and assimilationist practices has also emerged from the study. Principles on intercultural perspectives in Europe often appear to be very innovative and exist on a progressive and democratic level. However, in the European context, real practices are often implemented under ‘assimiliationist’ and ‘compensatory’ viewpoints. Finally, the study raises fundamental questions about the critical revision of the project of European society. Indeed, one of the major current challenges in European education systems will be overcoming a persistent Eurocentric setting, building effective responses for all the students and providing all the pupils with skills that are indispensable for full active citizenship in an interdependent and pluralistic Europe.

Interculturalism in Italian primary schools with a high concentration of immigrant students

The present article focuses on quantitative research carried out on a statistically representative sample of Italian primary schools with a high concentration of immigrant students. Research data show that schools with a higher number of immigrant students offer a greater number and a wider variety of intercultural initiatives. The presence of immigrant students serves as an effective stimulus in enhancing intercultural approaches. Furthermore, the opinions of head teachers about the proposal of ‘separate classes’ for immigrant students and the proposed ‘limit of 30% on the presence’ of immigrant students are negative. These judgements do not change in a statistically significant manner in relation to concentration of immigrant students: in particular, higher rates of immigrant students are not related to more positive opinions. Continuing education on intercultural issues is widely adopted, mainly on behalf of teachers and less often on behalf of head teachers and other school personnel. Finally, activities by ‘linguistic facilitators’ and ‘linguistic and cultural mediators’ are not significantly related to a decrease in perceived concern regarding problematic situations.

Immigrant Student Achievement and Educational Policy in Italy

This chapter provides a brief overview of the presence of an immigrant population and students in Italy. Furthermore, an analysis of achievement results of first- and second-generation immigrants and native students is carried out through the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Italian Ministry of Education data, highlighting a persistent gap in achievement between immigrant and native populations, as well as the high school failure rate, a prevalent inclusion in the secondary segment in vocational or technical schools, and widespread presence in the Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET) population for students with an immigrant background. These findings are critically discussed in relation to the framework of the Italian policies on intercultural education and on the recent guidelines for the inclusion of students with an immigrant background in the Italian school system.