Italian School System

Tuesday morning was held at the Aula Magna University of Modena and Reggio Emilia - the University in Reggio Emilia. Professor Sergio Govi from the University spoke to us about the structure of the Italian School System - which was very interesting to learn about especially when learning the logistics of how the Reggio Emilia Early Childhood programs run.

In the Italian school system, there are various phases - and this is the best way I can map it out for you through all that I learned:

Early Childhood

• 0-2 year-olds - Early Childhood services provided upon request (In American "terms" - this is Infant/Toddler daycare that is paid for by the municipality because it is a right to have it here in Italy with a sliding-scale system for parents to pay part of the cost from 80-500 Euros a month.)
• 2-3 year-olds - "Primavera" Groups (This is an experimental group right now that they are still defining and working though...seems like a transition period into preschool.)
• 3-5 year-olds - Preschool (The Municipalities have 15% of their budget going directly towards Early Childhood Education because Preschool is a RIGHT for all families and children. Because of this, the sliding scale payment for families is between 70-200 Euros a month.)

1st Educational Phase (I want to add too that this is all under reform currently)

• 6-10 year-olds - Primary Schools
• 11-13 year-olds - Secondary School 1st Level ("Middle School" to us Americans)
• After completion of Secondary School 1st Level, a State Exam is taken by all students. If they pass the exam, then they can attend Secondary School 2nd Level. However, to even get to take the test, the students must pass all subjects/disciplines with a 6/10 mark, including an evaluation of their behavior expressed in a grade as well.)

2nd Educational Phase

Here, students ranging from 14-18 years-old can choose one of the following two routes:

1. Professional Education (Students will graduate with a professional qualification, this is an apprenticeship program basically. It is broken down into two fields: Economic (2 specialized paths offered) and Technological (9 specialized paths offered). Students choose the path they want to take.)
2. Secondary School (technical institutions, professional institutions, leads on to further education leading up to college)

If they choose to go to Secondary School, when they are 18-years-old they take another State Exam. If they pass this exam, they are allowed to go onto College Education.

College Education has two different types:

1. Laurea Breve (Associates Degree) - 3 years of work
2. Laurea Specialista (Bachelors degree) - 2 more years of work after finishing Laurea Breve

In Italy, is is compulsory to attend 10 years of schooling, starting from the time they are 6-years-old - so basically they must attend the 1st Educational Phase and 2 years of Secondary School.

When it comes down to managing the competencies in the Italian Educational System - it is broken down into the fact that State Schools contain 87% of the students, Public and Private officially recognized schools contain 11% of the students, and Private Schools without recognition from the government (they do not receive funds from the government) house 2% of students.

*Hopefully* I got this all right from the extensive notes I took! Don't quote me directly - send questions to Professor Govi! haha!

So interesting to learn about other school systems and where different cultures place their emphasis on importance. My favorite part of this all - that Early Childhood/Preschool services are a RIGHT for ALL children and families, and 75% of the cost per child is covered by the municipality! :)

Big red "X" over the Sala Tricolore - Reggio Emila's council chamber as a sign of protest by the people of Reggio Emilia against the budget cuts that could affect their schools. So interesting that this part of Reggio Emila's history is going on right NOW while we are here!

Ciao for now!

-Carly