Conference Program

School inclusion (UNESCO, 2017) represents a founding principle of the Italian education system and is aligned with Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which promotes quality, equitable and inclusive education for all. Italy, a pioneer in Europe in the field of inclusion (Law 517/1977; Law 104/1992; Law 170/2010; Ministry of Education, University and Research, 2012), has consolidated the principle of integration, gradually extending legal and pedagogical protection to students with other Special Educational Needs (SEN). In continuity with the international framework that understands democratic education as a right enabling the participation and success of all students (Varsik, 2022), this study adopts the principle of human dignity as a pedagogical category that orients care, support and recognition of each learner’s needs and potential (Bruni, 2024).

From this perspective, the study addresses the educational challenge of promoting evidence-informed strategies that are genuinely inclusive of everyone and of each individual (Hattie, 2017) for teaching how to study, with the aim of fostering the development of a functional study method (Chiappetta Cajola & Traversetti, 2017). Such a method is conceived as a structured set of strategic, cognitive, metacognitive and motivational factors that can nurture an active attitude towards learning and enable students to exercise control over their own learning processes, thus enhancing each learner’s capacity to “learn how to learn” (Council of the European Union, 2018) within a lifelong learning perspective. In this sense, the study method is conceived as a primary compensatory measure (Cornoldi et al., 2010), within which other compensatory tools and dispensatory measures can be organised, shared and accepted.

Within this inclusive perspective, it is therefore crucial that teachers make systematic use of strategies with proven effectiveness (Mitchell & Sutherland, 2020), capable of supporting students with SEN throughout their entire school trajectory. Specifically, this contribution presents the results of a quasi-experimental study (Stanley & Campbell, 1996) involving seven upper secondary schools in the Lazio and Abruzzo regions, following a targeted teaching intervention designed according to the principles and methodological criteria of Evidence-Based (Informed) Education (Calvani, 2025). The intervention is oriented towards promoting the acquisition of an effective study method for all students, including those with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD).

The study led to the design and implementation of the Evidence-Based Inclusive Study Strategies- EbISS Programme, articulated in two main components: a specific training course for teachers of the experimental classes and, subsequently, the implementation in those classes of a didactic kit built around the core components of the study method. The evaluation of the EbISS Programme was conducted through the administration of standardised tools at pre-test and post-test in both the experimental and control groups. The analysis of the results aims to highlight the conditions, limits and potential through which inclusive, evidence-informed study strategies can contribute to making school a space of lived citizenship, dialogue, shared responsibility and recognition of the potential of all students.

Teacher training represents an essential challenge for building truly inclusive contexts which, to be effective, requires a radical and transversal change in teaching practices, considered not only from a pragmatic point of view, but also from a socio-symbolic-cultural perspective (Baldacci, 2023; Bocci, Guerini & Travaglini, 2021; Mura, 2019). This is a challenging process, requiring the joint investment of all professionals involved in educational processes, and in relation to which there are still various types of critical issues (Fedeli & Munaro, 2022). Indeed, perplexity emerges among teachers regarding the possibility of applying methodologies and approaches based on co-education, as well as a widespread resistance – especially in secondary school – to perceiving educational contexts as “naturally” habitable by everyone, regardless of the recognized and observed skills (Canevaro & Ianes, 2024). To stem the separation between educational professionals, especially between curricular and support teachers, it is necessary to implement training courses that allow all participants to feel authentically part of a process of shared growth and collaboration (Lombardi, 2024): in this way it is possible to establish a research community (Mezirow, 2003), in which the different members, supporting each other within a process of change, are called to analyze the strengths and criticalities of what has been undertaken. In this sense, the synergy between university and educational institution is a key element capable of ensuring innovation and a push towards change (Di Donato, 2025).

Based on these premises, the aim is to present the results of a research-based training program, still ongoing, involving 16 teachers from a comprehensive institute in Rome focused on the design and implementation of authentic inclusive tasks (Travaglini, 2025) in the classes entrusted to them. Specifically, the researchers’ objective was twofold: a) to investigate the effectiveness of the inclusive authentic task in relation to some variables observed in the classes involved in the learning path. In this sense, particular attention was paid to observing the social and prosocial skills of the students; b) observing the impact of the training program on the quality of collaboration between teachers, as well as on the increase in educational practices inspired by coeducation.

Specifically, the training process is marked by three different phases: ex ante, aimed at identifying the most relevant training needs; ongoing, focused on the design and implementation of interventions; ex post, aimed at sharing the experiences of teachers, as well as identifying the strengths and critical issues identified both in relation to the training path, both in relation to a possible revisitation of the research tools proposed by the researchers.

To achieve these goals, the research-based training process is configured as an idiographic study aimed at detecting the changes observed in the participants: for this reason, it involves the use of questionnaires and focus groups, to be applied at the different phases of the process, according to a perspective that aims to consider the outcomes of the intervention in light of the trajectories of professional change of the teachers involved (Passalacqua et al., 2025).

In recent decades, educational inclusion has been recognised as one of the fundamental principles of inclusive education. In many education systems, and particularly in the Italian model, it is grounded in the right of students with disabilities to participate in mainstream classroom life and to follow standard curricula. This institutional achievement, often regarded as a distinctive feature of the Italian system, nevertheless raises a crucial question: is participation in classroom life sufficient to prepare students with disabilities to face adult life independently?

The concern lies in the risk that educational inclusion may remain largely confined to the formal school setting, without fully translating into social inclusion and, above all, labour market inclusion. The key question, therefore, is whether the educational pathways offered in schools are truly capable of developing the skills needed to live independently in society. Among these, one dimension still appears to be largely overlooked within inclusion policies and practices: economic citizenship.

The ability to understand the value of money, manage a personal budget, plan expenditure, develop savings strategies, and administer one’s own resources represents a fundamental competence for individual autonomy. For people with disabilities, these skills acquire even greater significance, as they directly affect their ability to lead an independent life, manage personal income—such as pensions or other forms of financial support—and participate meaningfully in social life, especially when family support is no longer available.

Despite its evident relevance, economic and financial literacy is rarely incorporated into school curricula or students' life plans. Educational practices tend to prioritise participation in traditional subject-based curricula, even when these are only weakly connected to the real prospects for independence of the most vulnerable students. This situation creates a tension between curricular inclusion and social inclusion, raising questions about the very meaning of educational equity.

This paper argues for the need to explicitly introduce economic and financial literacy into the life plans of students with disabilities. Schools should promote educational pathways focused on understanding income from work, managing a personal budget, developing a propensity to save, and acquiring the ability to make informed economic decisions in everyday life.

Drawing on the capability approach, the paper proposes rethinking educational inclusion as a process aimed at fostering the real conditions for autonomy and participation in social life. From this perspective, economic citizenship becomes an essential dimension of social equity and a structural element in shaping the life plans of students with disabilities.

A truly inclusive school should not merely ensure that students are present in the classroom, but should prepare them to live in society with practical tools for autonomy. Among these, the ability to understand and manage money, plan one’s budget, and develop savings habits represents a fundamental condition for transforming inclusion from a formal principle into a real opportunity for participation and independence in adult life.

In the Italian educational landscape, early childhood education has developed through specific institutional and pedagogical trajectories. What is today known as Scuola dell’Infanzia, serving children aged three to six, was formally established in 1968 and pedagogically redefined through the Orientamenti per la scuola dell’infanzia (1991). Initially aimed at social and family support, particularly to enable women’s labour participation, it gradually shifted toward a child-centred approach emphasizing agency, relational learning, play, and multiple symbolic languages (Malaguzzi, 1995). This orientation resonates with international perspectives on active, participatory learning and curriculum as a relational process emerging from interactions among children, adults, and contexts (Clark, 2017; Luini, 2025).

Over the past decade, governance and the conceptual framework of early childhood education in Italy have undergone significant reconfiguration. The establishment of the Sistema Integrato 0-6 introduced a systemic perspective connecting early childhood services and preschool education. Subsequent national curricular and policy developments have reshaped discourse surrounding early childhood education, reopening the debate on preschool identity within a broader educational continuum and on the relationship between consolidated pedagogical traditions and evolving policy frameworks (Silva, 2018). Comparative curriculum research has shown how early childhood curricula often become “sites of struggle” where different visions of childhood, learning, and educational purposes confront each other (Soler & Miller, 2003).

This contribution presents outcomes of a practitioner-based action research project conducted by a group of preschool teachers who collaboratively engaged in critical documentary analysis of national policy texts regulating early childhood education. The inquiry aimed to reinterpret the evolving identity of preschool education within the integrated 0–6 system and a developmental curriculum spanning 0 to 19 years (Cerini, 2018). Through collegial discussion, the research group identified five analytical categories: (1) the centrality of the child and the educational purposes of preschool education; (2) the implicit curriculum and learning environment; (3) the explicit curriculum and its articulation through the campi di esperienza; (4) vertical and horizontal continuity across educational transitions; and (5) teacher professionalism and reflective practice.

The analysis revealed both continuity and shifts. Core principles persist, while recent policies increasingly emphasize organisational and systemic dimensions. Preschool identity emerges as relational and collectively constructed through practices, institutional frameworks, and policy developments (Bocci, 2025; Bruzzo, 2025). The research is framed within a difference-oriented perspective on inclusive education (Demo, 2025) and a broad conception of inclusion as expanding participation and learning for all children (Booth & Ainscow, 2008), treating diversity as a resource for shared learning and democratic engagement.

The study demonstrates that curriculum discourses influence children’s participation, recognition of differences, and sense of democratic belonging. By combining documentary analysis with practitioner inquiry, it argues that redefining preschool identity is not only a technical policy matter but also a cultural and political issue concerning early childhood’s role in democratic society. The analytical framework developed serves as a reflective tool for collaborative practitioner inquiry, supporting critical examination of curriculum discourses and their implications for inclusive, participatory, child-responsive educational practices. The project later extended its analysis to policy texts incorporated into the 2025 Indicazioni Nazionali.

In a progressively more varied educational landscape where socio-educational inequalities are increasingly evident, planning for diversity and utilizing inclusive evidence-based approaches becomes fundamental in ensuring everyone’s participation and success (OECD, 2023). In this respect, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework offers a notable contribution, as it centers on the learner, their choices and educational trajectories. More specifically, UDL is funded on the concept of natural learner variability and revolving around the idea of removing barriers from the curriculum, planning for such variability and having each pupil´s preferences and needs become an integral part of their learning process (Meyer & Rose, 2014)

Both international and national research has demonstrated positive effects of UDL, more specifically various studies have reported increased performance and learning outcomes in various subjects and across grades (Almeqdad et al., 2023; Ok et al., 2017). Similar positive effects have also been observed regarding other outcomes, such as students’ engagement (Sokal & Katz, 2015). These effects specifically are fundamental to the UDL framework itself as it does not concentrate on students’ capabilities but instead underlines their continued development as “expert learners”. These are pupils who develop characteristics such as: motivation, self-efficacy and self-esteem, (Meyer & Rose, 2014). However, while an increase in the first has been observed in various studies, literature has generally not focused on the effects of UDL on the other characteristics mentioned or to other aspects of students’ socioemotional development (Kapoor, 2024). Notably, such qualities are not only important within the UDL framework but have been found to have vital implications for students’ educational outcomes. Furthermore, disparities in such characteristics between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds have also been observed and further perpetrate educational inequities (Huang, 2011; Jansen et al., 2015; Paulus et al., 2021).

The current study aims to examine how students’ socioemotional development is impacted when UDL is utilized in the classroom. It is expected that UDL can foster such development and consequently reduce educational inequity. The study will involve pupils from grade 5 in primary school and their teachers. Additionally, it will employ a mixed methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative instruments to measure children's socioemotional development. For example, children´s self-concept will be measured through a validated self-report questionnaire: the third edition of the Piers‑Harris Self-Concept Scale (Piers et al., 2023); while engagement will be assessed through class observations. Teachers will receive specialized UDL training and will be then asked to implement it in their classroom. The training’s main purpose is for teachers to acquire not only knowledge of the framework but also engage them in the design of lessons and learning units following its principles. Moreover, the study will include semi-structured interviews with teachers so to understand how they used UDL within the classroom and possible changes in their professional role and instructional decision-making during the implementation. During the conference, the author will present in more detail both the design of the study, its procedures, materials and the training devised for participating teachers.