Chapter 10: Globalizing the Local and Localizing the Global: The Role of the ICT in Isolated Mountain and Island Schools in Italy

In Italy, the isolated mountainous and insular areas represent 70% of the land. The issue of isolation affects 1,400 schools and 900,000 Italian students who live in the mountains and on small islands. In spite of the challenges of the physical terrain, it is extremely important to ensure equal opportunities and services to all, as education is a guaranteed social service. INDIRE (the National Institute for the Documentation, Innovation, and Educational Research) has been observing the teaching practices in some small, isolated mountain and island schools, with the aim of discovering what impact reduced student populations have on the quality of education (http://www.indire.it/area-di-ricerca/miglioramento/).