When prominent voices like Ernesto Galli Della Loggia and Roberto Vannacci question the "myth" of inclusive schooling, perhaps it's time to shift perspective. Since Italy's approach is "unique in the world" and "we know the results," but inclusive schools taught me to think critically, let me follow their reasoning step by step.
The argument goes: enough disabled students in classes with non-disabled peers. Why? Because non-disabled students, through no merit of their own, were born healthy, with all the pieces intact, in the "right" and wealthy part of the world, speaking the language most of the community speaks. They're destined for the best education, preparing them for society's most prestigious roles, leaving the rest of us to scrape by.
Disabled students hold the rest of the class back. They ask questions. Their school trips need adaptation. They drain public funds for accessible buildings and spaces. Think of all the other priorities those funds could cover!
But inclusive schools force us to be together, to get our hands dirty. It's exhausting to plan a lesson for a classroom where you have to account for neurodivergent students, disabled students, immigrant students—where you have to shift your thinking, find new tools, unconventional approaches. Not everyone can handle that effort. But effort is what produces the best results.