Conference Program

Technological development has impacted both the private and public sectors, presenting citizens and the administration with a revolution in language, communication and ways of operating (Schwab, 2017; Lamberti, 2018). The digital transition has brought about significant changes in the conduct of public life, making administrative procedures more streamlined and large amounts of data available for decision-making processes (Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019). Digitalisation has enabled the automation of processes, the creation of integrated information systems and the evolution of Artificial Intelligence also in education (Molinari, 2025).

In public administration, the introduction of the principles of new public management and new public governance was aimed at making the public system more efficient, effective and sustainable, as well as ensuring greater transparency of processes and results for citizens, in line with the principle of accountability (Bovens, 2007).

In this context, citizens’ access to public services has increasingly been mediated by the use of digital platforms dedicated to the collection, production and dissemination of large quantities of data and information. This shift has also been observed with its implication in education and training policies (European Commission, 2020, 2021).

In particular, this article focuses on “Scuola in Chiaro” (in English language “Open School”, the portal of the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit, available at https://unica.istruzione.gov.it/portale/it/scuola-in-chiaro, containing detailed information on state and state-recognised schools. It had been launched in 2012 with the aim of helping families and students with guidance and the choice of school. Scuola in Chiaro is also the platform where strategic documents – such as the Self-Evaluation Report, the Three-Year Educational Programme and the Social Accountability Report – are published (Freddano, 2025), thereby bridging the gap between the National Evaluation System and students, families and, more broadly, the public.

Our research focuses on users’ perceptions of Scuola in Chiaro portal and, in particular, the quality of the data they perceive it to offer. To this end, an evaluative study was conducted involving a group of first-year undergraduate students enrolled on the Communication Sciences degree programme, who were asked to analyse the Scuola in Chiaro portal, either in groups or individually, according to specific criteria, and to present their findings using SWOT analysis. The students’ reports were analysed qualitatively using MAXQDA software.

The findings provide an original description of the self-evaluation tools of schools on Scuola in Chiaro portal, highlighting opportunities, constraints, strengths and weaknesses from the students’ perspective, and offering useful suggestions for improving the services offered by the portal, with a view to making them increasingly accessible to its potential users, particularly the most direct ones, such as students and families.

The results of this study also highlight that, in the evaluation of public policies, whilst methodological and scientific rigor is indispensable, participation represents a fundamental research tool for gathering evidence useful for guiding improvements to public services that are increasingly aligned with the real needs of their users.