In the most vulnerable neighborhoods of Turin and Milan, up to 1 in 4 students fails to achieve adequate skills in Italian, mathematics, and English despite completing a high school diploma. This criticality is measured by implicit school dropout: a silent fragility that isn’t as obvious as dropping out, but profoundly impacts life opportunities.
Next-Level ETS, of which I am vice president, as illustrated in the article in La Stampa, is working to prevent explicit and implicit school dropout in the most challenging contexts of several Italian cities, intervening where the gap arises and consolidates, with personalized tutoring, informed guidance, support for families, and structured collaboration with schools.
These interventions are measured and evaluated. The key, however, is not just to demonstrate that a model works, but to ensure that what works doesn’t remain isolated incidents.
Best practices must be incorporated into structural policies capable of systemically impacting the most vulnerable areas.
If we want schools to once again become a true social elevator, we must ensure that a girl or boy’s future does not depend on their birth ZIP code or family background. Educational equity is not a sectoral issue. It is a strategic choice for social cohesion, for economic growth, for the quality of our democracy.
A special thank you to Director Caterina Corapi and to the companies that are supporting these projects with social responsibility.
