When School Divides

One of the most pressing problems facing the Italian education system is the high dropout rate of students. This is not just an educational issue, but something that reflects and amplifies deep-seated social, economic and cultural inequalities. In Italy, early school leaving remains higher than the EU average, with significant regional and social differences.

The Project

With the project named RISE-WELL (Robustness In Schools for Student Wellbeing), which I coordinate and is funded by Cariplo Foundation, we start from the hypothesis that to understand and combat early withdrawal from education, it is necessary to focus on students’ wellbeing and the role of schools as organizations capable of actively addressing existing inequalities.

In recent years, socioeconomic and cultural inequalities have deepened, contributing to an increase in both explicit and implicit forms of quitting school, as well as the associated failure to attain basic skills despite completing an educational path. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds show lower levels of psychological wellbeing: a lower sense of belonging, less motivation to study, lower academic achievement and greater difficulty in establishing social bonds.

The Deterioration of the Psychological Wellbeing of Students

At the same time, we are witnessing a widespread deterioration of the mental health of adolescents. Anxiety, stress, loneliness and emotional distress are increasingly frequent, directly impacting students' ability to learn and remain in the education system. These phenomena are not evenly distributed, but are associated with very specific lineages of inequality, linked to family conditions, the local context and available opportunities.

Even Milan, often presented as a dynamic and inclusive city, exhibits stark contrasts: in peripheral neighborhoods, school dropout rates can be very high, while in central areas they remain negligible. This gap highlights how educational inequalities are closely intertwined with urban and social inequalities.

The Role of Schools

RISE-WELL aims to address these challenges through an integrated approach. The project jointly analyzes four social, economic, cultural and wellbeing variables to understand how inequalities accumulate over time and translate into educational disadvantages. It also introduces an innovative perspective: it considers schools not only as places of learning, but as organizations capable of adapting and innovating, in order to actively support the psychological welfare of students and act as tools to combat inequalities.

To achieve this goal, we have adopted a multidisciplinary methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative data. Focusing on the City of Milan, we have collected large-scale data to map student wellbeing and its correlation with various types of inequalities across the city's different neighborhoods. We also conduct in-depth analyses of public schools located in vulnerable areas of Milan to identify which organizational practices, leadership models and educational strategies are most effective in promoting wellbeing and preventing the dropout of teen students.

School Community Participation

A distinctive element of the project is the direct involvement of the whole school community through co-participation and co-design. We work with teachers, students and their families to develop educational practices geared toward generating wellbeing and preventing dropout. This process not only produces more effective solutions, but also strengthens a sense of belonging and shared responsibility for the project within schools.

Public Policy Objectives

The ultimate goal is twofold. On the one hand, it contributes to the scientific debate by offering a new understanding of the link between inequality, wellbeing and school dropout. On the other, it provides concrete policy tools by developing models and indicators that can guide targeted interventions in the most vulnerable areas.

Solving early school leaving means addressing the root causes of inequality. Putting student wellbeing at the center and strengthening the role of schools as agents of change is, in my opinion, essential to build a more equitable and inclusive society.