Redesigning Physical Education in Italy – The potential of a network ecosystem.

The current Italian law for school system innovation emphasizes direct and indirect supports for redesign including: (1) The introduction of specialist PE teachers in primary schools; (2) Program enhancement via network governance; (3) Equal opportunities framed by an ecological network model encompassing school, community, and state levels; and (4) A national plan for teacher training and action research, which bridges schools’ educational goals and school community improvement goals. Redesign in Italy can be viewed a “double challenge” because it involves both local and national action. Four needs must be addressed, and all are influenced by PE’s history and current educational policy. First, both process-oriented and outcome-focused evaluations must respond to two needs. Presently local evaluations are scarce and uneven. At the same time, mandated national school teaching evaluation assessments and improvement policies neglect motor competence and other PE outcomes. Second, policy advocacy for PE is needed, especially involving local, “bottom-up” initiatives. Three lines of research can be translated and disseminated in support: (1) The predictive role of motor development for academic achievement; (2) PE’s contributions to positive health trajectories; and (3) The role of integrated physical activities to facilitate learning in non-physical domains, particularly for children who need it most. Third, school leaders’ beliefs about PE must be prioritized. Principals in particular need to know about the compatibility of physical activity and academic achievement; and also how school environmental conditions constrain PE. Fourth, schools need to be open to families and other key external actors, enabling them to appreciate, and advocate for, PE’s roles for lifelong learning and social inclusion. This work is timely because it can be integrated with European Union-sponsored initiatives developed to promote learning innovation and social inclusion.