In our schools, diversity is no longer scary.
White flight , two English words to describe a phenomenon that is also Italian: the flight of Italian families from schools with a high concentration of foreign students . The literal translation is "white flight," and perhaps it better conveys the idea of an exodus that, in fact, contributes to the creation of so-called "ghetto schools," where the concentration of foreign students is very high and the Italian presence is increasingly marginal.
The issue of the excessive concentration of non-Italian students, especially those with significant difficulties with the Italian language, is periodically brought to the forefront by politicians, more or less instrumentally, with attempts at response ranging from a "cap" for students with non-Italian citizenship with limited knowledge of Italian (introduced in the circular issued in January 2010 by the then Minister of Education Mariastella Gelmini ) to the thousand teachers specialized in Italian as a second language, desired by Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who will enter classrooms in September . According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education and Merit, referring to the 2022/2023 school year , there were 914,860 students with non-Italian citizenship, an increase of 42,500 (+4.9%) compared to the previous year. Of these, 598,745 were born in Italy: 65.4%. Instead, 58,372 foreign students entered the Italian school system for the first time in the 2022/23 school year: those new arrivals – Nai – who raise the issue of which language to learn.
Regardless of ideological positions, those in the classroom know—objectively—that class composition determines daily challenges: it's no coincidence that in 2022, the social enterprise Con i Bambini launched a call specifically for innovative projects to combat school segregation. The call is called "Neighbors of the School," is funded with a total investment of over €12.4 million from the fund for combating child educational poverty, and has selected 23 projects from the 137 applications received.
The idea is to change the approach. To truly combat white flight , schools must embrace the local community, becoming places that don't scare, but attract . It's not enough to deter Italian families from leaving (or, conversely, to allow foreign families to avoid schools perceived as too demanding): they must be involved, made an active part of the school community. A school capable of embracing the social complexity of its neighborhood isn't a slogan against segregation, but a daily educational practice, built on relationships, trust, and participation. The 23 ongoing three-year projects are aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 13 and aim to reduce school segregation by promoting quality education in all contexts, even the most vulnerable, and by making the social composition of schools more balanced and representative of reality.
Among the most significant experiences is SCooP – Scuola cooperativa di vicina (Proximity Cooperative School), launched in February 2024. It will be active until December 2026 in Milan's Municipio 6, a diverse urban area where middle-class families and residents of public housing coexist.
Manfredo Tortoreto , headmaster of the Cardarelli-Massaua Institute , one of the eight schools involved in the project, explains: " SCooP was born from networking efforts that began in 2021 with the signing of the Pact against School Segregation , promoted by Municipio 6, the Department of Education, and all the schools in the area. We're talking about a catchment area of approximately 160,000 inhabitants." The project's goal is to redesign the educational landscape of Municipio 6 by promoting a more equitable and inclusive school system thanks to a solid and innovative alliance between the Municipality of Milan, the Municipality, the eight comprehensive schools, and the local network of third sector organizations.
" Combating segregation meant, from the beginning, equipping ourselves with concrete tools to prevent polarization between schools ," Tortoreto continues. "In our area, 16% of residents are non-Italian speakers. Yet, when I arrived at this institution, foreign students made up only 8% of the enrollment. This meant that many families, including foreigners, did not choose our school, which was perceived as too selective, with high academic performance expectations." This dynamic, which reflected a concrete form of school "drain," was addressed with determination. " We no longer wanted to be a school perceived as elite. We wanted to be a school capable of representing the social and cultural reality of the neighborhood in which we are located ," Tortoreto explains. "We changed our methods, language, and relationships. Without sacrificing quality, we chose to emphasize another type of quality: that of a welcoming and competent school. A school that includes and values differences."
Many foreign families did not choose our school, perceived as too selective, with high expectations of academic performance.
Manfredo Tortoreto, headmaster of the Cardarelli-Massaua Institute in Milan
The results were immediate. One of the most obvious signs of change is the reversal of the trend in continuity between primary and secondary schools . More and more families are choosing to stay in the same school, without looking elsewhere for perceived "better" options. SCooP has restored credibility and attractiveness to the idea of inclusive, high-quality public schools. The project's activities span multiple levels : orientation services for families, tutoring for vulnerable families, support for online enrollment, teacher training on inclusion and diversity management, school exchange days, student observatories on segregation, workshops and academic support activities, and Italian as a second language courses.
A central aspect is the work to rebalance between schools , through the GACs – Cooperative Action Groups, which design educational interventions starting from the needs of the local area, and the Lab Day, a public moment of discussion between schools, institutions and citizens, designed to strengthen social cohesion and reflect on the meaning of school segregation.
Among the most notable results is the strengthening of inclusive practices and greater attention to specific educational needs . "We have 33 students with disabilities, 30 support teachers out of 130, 70% of whom are tenured, and 74 teachers with linguistic, cognitive, psychological, and social disabilities," explains Tortoreto. To support vulnerable families, the Institute has activated a Solidarity Fund to cover the costs of educational trips and projects, and the "suspended notebook" to ensure school supplies . The Pizzigoni methodology has been introduced in primary school, with vegetable gardens, greenhouses, and two gardeners who support the classes with agricultural activities, later reworked with an interdisciplinary approach. In secondary school, CLIL in English is being tested, as well as courses on gender equality and environmental sustainability.
"The indicators of academic well-being are clear: high motivation to attend, few absences, good student-teacher relationships, active participation in projects, and reduced disciplinary sanctions ," the principal emphasizes. "All of this is thanks to an engaged faculty who believe in a shared vision of public education. 90% actively participate in the life of the school, and even those with temporary contracts often ask to return, a sign of an environment that values professionalism."
Great attention was also paid to the centrality of students, with activities coordinated by key figures such as "bridge" teachers (one for each comprehensive school) and thematic coordinators, dedicated to specific areas of vulnerability. Among the most innovative interventions is the Peer Research Observatory , created in collaboration with Save the Children and Codici , where students co-constructed investigative tools to explore today's school and imagine the school of tomorrow, promoting a sense of belonging and leadership.
SCooP has also worked to overcome competition between schools, often fueled by selective approaches tied to family choices. Through shared workshops between schools and continuity projects—such as the creative workshop with an author, which involves fifth-grade elementary school students and continues through sixth grade—SCooP strengthens the bond between students, teachers, and the local community, smoothing the transition between school cycles and combating dropout.
Finally, special attention has been paid to academic guidance, especially for children from vulnerable backgrounds . "Many students lack guidance," explains the principal. "We have activated help desks, interviews, and tutoring to help them make informed choices. We want to overcome what is often a veritable class selection, where only the children of some families enter high schools, while the others only attend vocational schools."
At the end of the three-year project, our task will be to make this experience a model, sustainable and long-lasting. To avoid losing the great educational, human, and social heritage we have built together.
Manfredo Tortoreto, headmaster of the Cardarelli-Massaua Institute in Milan
SCooP has transformed the fortunes of the schools involved. It has reversed the trend of family exodus, strengthened the sense of community, and restored the attractiveness of the neighborhood's public schools. But the challenge now is to look to the future. As Tortoreto explains: " At the end of the three-year project, our task will be to make this experience a model, sustainable and long-lasting . To avoid losing the great educational, human, and social heritage we have built together."
A similar experience, in vision and approach, is that of the Galassia Torpigna project, active in the Roman neighborhood of Tor Pignattara. This project—which was selected as a SCooP among 23 through the "Vicini di scuola" project by Con i Bambini— also focused on school inclusion to prevent family dropouts and build a public school capable of reflecting and enhancing the social complexity of the area .
The project is being developed in Rome's Tor Pignattara neighborhood, in Municipio V, an area marked by significant social challenges but also by a vibrant local identity. The goal is to test a model of educational alliance between schools, institutions, and the third sector to combat school segregation and build a network of shared educational services.
The initial impetus came from the Carlo Pisacane school , once considered a "ghetto school" in the neighborhood due to the high presence of foreign students and the phenomenon of "Italian parents fleeing" to other institutions. Today, thanks to the ongoing work of the school community and the local community, the Pisacane school has become a symbol of radical change: from a shunned school to an attractive school , capable of valuing multilingualism and promoting educational equity. Galassia Torpigna is a project born from the work of a strong and participatory local network, composed of schools, third sector associations, local authorities, educational professionals, and, above all, parents.
There's no one-size-fits-all solution: every school has its own. The work here was twofold: on the one hand, we revitalized the school by enriching it with even more activities and offerings; on the other, we encouraged active parent participation.
Maria Rossi, Asinitas Association
Maria Rossi of the Asinitas association , the project's leader, explains: "There's no one-size-fits-all solution: every school, every context has its own story. However, I can share, for example, the experience of the Pisacane school. Here, the work was twofold: on the one hand, we revitalized the school, making it even more inclusive, full of activities and opportunities; on the other, we encouraged active parent participation. The school became a point of reference even beyond school hours; a parents' association was formed to co-plan extracurricular activities ."
Furthermore, Rossi continues, "the same thing happened at the other school in the neighborhood, Di Donato , where a challenge—the high presence of foreign students—was transformed into an asset. The school was renamed an 'international school,' no longer a 'school with many foreigners,' precisely to emphasize the positive aspects of diversity . After all, if they had been Canadian or American students, perhaps they wouldn't have been seen as a problem. But when the kids come from disadvantaged backgrounds, there's a fear that they'll slow down the program or have language difficulties. Instead, the challenge became an opportunity . And so it was."
Thanks to the active involvement of parents, particularly Italian ones, the "Pisacane 99" committee was formed, which revitalized the Pisacane school and opened it to the wider community. Numerous activities, both inside and outside school hours, have enriched the school. The goal: to affirm that cultural and linguistic differences are not obstacles but rather an added value. The school has become attractive to families from the neighborhood and beyond.
A similar experience is taking shape in Cesena , with the project " School is the city: an open laboratory of polite skills ," also selected by the "School Neighbors" call. The goal, here too, is to combat school segregation by transforming the school into an open, inclusive space deeply connected to the local community . Central to the project is the active involvement of parents, who are recognized not as mere recipients, but as key players in the educational community.
Through intercultural workshops, outdoor activities, and opportunities for discussion, the bond between school, families, and neighborhoods is strengthened, valuing differences as resources . Schools thus become hubs of relationships, public spaces where education intertwines with local care and the building of social bonds. Because no school can educate alone: to be truly effective, it must feel a living part of the context in which it operates.
The project—which will be presented on September 26 in Forlì, during the Festival of Best Practices in Educational Inclusion —is being developed at the Carducci Primary School in Cesena , where approximately 40% of the students are non-Italian citizens. Here, the challenge is to transform a school perceived as a "ghetto" into an educational center open to the city, thanks to innovative methodologies such as peer education, outdoor education, and co-planning between school, families, and the community. The "School is the City" project is much more than an educational project: it is an urban laboratory of relationships, culture, and shared participation . Here too, the response to the exodus of families stems from a clear idea: no school educates alone. A community is needed, shared responsibility is needed, and a stable alliance between school, families, and the local community is needed.
These experiences show us how families don't run away when they encounter a school capable of recognizing them as an active part of the community , of going beyond teaching to become a generative space for the future, coexistence, citizenship and, above all, belonging.
In the opening photo, pedagogical experimentation at the Carducci School (photo With the children)
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