Conference Program

A clear sign of inequity within current educational systems is school segregation, generally defined as the high concentration of a minority or disadvantaged group within a school or a classroom, relative to the presence of that same group in the surrounding area (Antonini, Argentin & Santagati, 2025; Cordini & Parma, 2025; Cordini & Ranci, 2025; Council of Europe, 2017).

Originally conceptualized in the United States, a context historically shaped by significant migratory flows and residential segregation, this phenomenon has evolved into a global subject of analysis. Over time, diverse theoretical perspectives have converged in recognizing its complex and multifaceted nature. Furthermore, there is a broad consensus in identifying a plurality of drivers — ranging from family choices to the so-called 'educational landscape' (Cordini & Parma, 2025) — that interact across different cultural, social, and educational dimensions.

Developing a comprehensive theoretical framework is essential for highlighting diverse interpretative perspectives. One approach prioritizes the quantitative dimension, defining the phenomenon numerically as a high concentration of disadvantaged students (Ranci, 2019). While seemingly straightforward, this definition raises significant conceptual issues regarding the meanings of 'disadvantage,' 'foreign background,' and 'socio-economic status', categories that are often intertwined. From another standpoint, a different reading focuses on the quality of the educational experience: school segregation occurs when the educational path provided and experienced within the school lacks quality (Zolletto, 2022).

As such, to design effective counter-strategies that integrate multiple levels and dimensions, it is essential to adopt a broad analytical perspective.

In 2022, the social enterprise Con i Bambini, as part of the Fondo per il contrasto alla povertà educativa minorile, issued the 'Vicini di scuola' call for proposals. This initiative supports projects aimed at reducing school segregation phenomena affecting minors aged 6–13. The call promotes interventions that ensure high-quality education even in the most complex contexts, with the medium-term goal of progressively rebalancing the social composition of schools. This objective is pursued by expanding the services available to minors and families, experimenting with educational practices that bridge the gap between schools and the extracurricular world, and fostering collaboration between schools with diverse student populations. Ultimately, these actions seek to encourage families to return to their local neighborhood schools, attracted by the quality of learning, relationships and educational experiences, as well as the strength of the services provided.

As is increasingly common, the call for proposals required an external body tasked with the initiative's impact evaluation. Although this process is currently ongoing, the privileged position of the Center for Research on Education Policies (CeRiForm) at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, to which the authors belong, has enabled a preliminary reconstruction of the main desegregation strategies. Through a desk analysis of the 23 funded projects, this study explores the main approaches adopted to counteract segregation. From this perspective, it is particularly valuable to reflect on the secondary data acquired, placing them in dialogue with the conceptual framework described above.