For the past twenty years, the major players at European and world level have been wondering which school model would be capable of responding to the needs and challenges of a liquid and constantly evolving society, also considering how technological innovation has speeded up all areas of life.

Structure 7 deals precisely with identifying, studying and systematising bottom-up proposals, overcoming the phenomenon of the so called “islands of innovation”, in an integrated logic of governance of educational innovation.

The Structure’s core action is the Avanguardie educative Movement, founded by INDIRE in 2014 together with 22 schools, that now includes about 1,300 schools, and whose horizon of meaning is described in the Avanguardie Educative’s Manifesto.

In order to “make innovation sustainable”, as stated in Horizon no. 7 of the Manifesto of the Avanguardie educative, Structure 7 acts on various lines of research, converging in the effort to rigorously fine-tune dimensions, indicators and operating models that allow us to understand the effects of the various innovation experiences within and outside schools.

General objectives

1. Identifying, analysing and testing methodologies, contents and processes of didactic and organizational innovation that are able to support the systemic transformation of the school model. This objective is mainly pursued through the activation and support of a network of schools at a national level – the  Avanguardie Educative Movement – which involves external players, such as public, private and third sector entities;
2. Identify the conditions necessary for a scalability of transformative innovation processes across the entire school system;
3. Documenting and disseminating educational and organizational innovation practices through the organization and participation in local, national and international events and the preparation of materials and publications.

General questions

• What are the areas, tools and processes of didactic and organizational innovation that support a transformation of the transmission school model?
• How can these processes be supported?
• How can they spread throughout the entire school system?

Context – Target population

The target of the research is mainly represented by the schools belonging to the Avanguardie Educative Movement, a network of schools, of all types and levels, engaged in the transformation of the organizational and didactic model of schools.

However, the research intends to investigate the school context at a systemic level, therefore the population under study is represented by all its main actors: head teachers, teachers and students.

 

Institutional collaborations and research collaborations

• Italian Dyslexia Association (AID)
• National Association of head teachers (ANP)
• ASHOKA Italy Ong
• Casa Laboratorio Cenci
• Consortium Co & So
• Enrica Amiotti Foundation (FEA)
• International Association for Research on Textbooks and Educational Media (IARTEM)
• University of Turin
• Asphi Foundation
• Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation
• Foundation for the School – Compagnia di San Paolo
• Rete Biblòh – Innovative school libraries
• Italian Teachers Association
• UNCHR
• UNICEF ​​Italy
• UNESCO