Gli studenti eccellenti nella scuola italiana. Opinioni dei docenti e performance degli alunni

[Autom. eng. transl.] The space to devote to excellent students in public schools has always been a question in the learning processes. The theme has progressively lost interest since the second half of the twentieth century following the democratization of studies, because it was replaced by the attention towards a school that "does not want to leave anyone behind" to guarantee minimum learning standards for all. Only in more recent times we have arrived at a multidimensional concept of equity, in which the school can prove to be attentive to all individual differences and differences, thus bringing the 'right to excellence' to the fore. The volume asks us what it means to be excellent? Who is the excellent student? Who defines it as such? How can school value be enhanced without falling into an elite and selective education? The answers to these questions can help set a new attitude towards cultivation and care of human capital, which have become fundamental needs of the education system today. The results of a research are presented which asked a sample of teachers to express opinions on the excellence of their students; moreover, through an analysis of the Invalsi data, the intertwining of learning, skills, relationships, motivation and family background of excellent students is highlighted. Finally, the policies adopted to promote this category of students are analyzed. Critical reflection on the potential and limits of the current situation aims to facilitate the removal of resistance towards a support for 'capable and deserving' and a better use of the resources already available to schools.