The Reform Proposals of the Lower Secondary School in Italy and the Unified Perspective. 1861–1962

The conference theme Histories of Education and Reform fosters reflection on the interconnections between philosophy, humanities, education and social sciences, and politics and policy studies, in order to shed light on the complex nature of education and educational reforms. The conference also aims to encourage a critical investigation of the values and ethical foundations of education and how they have underpinned various attempts to make distinctions between “good” and “new” education, to describe the ideal structure and content of education, and to identify conflicts amongst interest groups and intentions. Different faith organisations, public versus private institutions, and local and transnational agencies have viewed education as an experimental and legitimising field for their activities. So both in theory and in practice, education is characterised by the power of established traditions, by prevailing tensions and by the diversity of actors and the transitions for which they have advocated.