Mananging Diversity into Educational Institutions. A needs analysis survey

Since its constitution, the European Union social system was imagined as an increasingly mature multicultural society able to face the challenges of how socialize its main social institutions in coping with its “structural” diversity. In spite of this, the present situation of the EU seems to be an evident example of the opposite tendency. This work presents the results of a regional analysis conducted within the framework of a EU-funded research project concerning the investigation of teachers’ needs in multicultural classes examining in depth challenges and constraints with integration of foreign origin children in daily life at school; a regional focus upon Italy is presented. Data suggests that teachers need to be involved in participatory practices oriented to empower them with tools and practices coming form a critical confrontation with social reality.