School governance: Insights from the Italian case

Abstract

In view of the recent “La Buona Scuola” reform, growing attention is emerging about the enhanced role of the principal and its effects on school organizations in Italy. However, further research is needed to understand the Italian governance outcomes. Thereupon we would make a worthy contribution to the existing research with a deep assessment of Italian school governance. To achieve this purpose, the original contribution here is linking school governance to the learning outcomes of high school students and aspects of their daily life activities using a macroeconomic perspective. Our methodology is twofold: first, we review the various reforms of school governance in order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each reform. Second, we involve a quantitative research methodology to analyze how school governance reflects social culture, students’ well-being, and educational outcomes. Our results confirm the significant role of the State in triggering education reform. Finally, we provide policy suggestions to the Italian Ministry of Education