Insegnanti e studenti (eccellenti) nell’analisi sociologica

Author reviews, discusses and critiques the contribution of sociology of education to the understanding of Italian teachers’ effects on both the quality of students’ learning and the enhancement of “excellent” students. The analysis has its roots in two books, one by Argentin (2018), the other by Barabanti (2018). The former stands as a systematic, comprehensive and cross-cultural look at researches in the field of teachers’ and schools’ effectiveness, by incorporating a diverse set of theoretical approaches and by offering a focused insight into the Italian case. The latter relies on a quali-quantitative research conducted in Italy on local and national scale in order to profile and assess the population of excellent students. Author introduces and comments practical and current educational difficulties which may affect the structures and the processes of school enhancements.