Adopted students’ educational paths and inclusiveness of Italian school system: an explorative study using parents’ evaluation

Using a mixed-method approach, the study explored the capacity of the Italian educational system to be oriented at inclusion examining, according to adoptive parents’ perspectives, the enforcing of the national guidelines on adopted students’ right to education (NG). It explored the main obstacles and opportunities faced by families in their children’s school path, as well as their suggestions to meet adoptive children’s educational needs. Eighty parents of school-aged (6– 14 years) adopted students participated in the study. Sixty-five were involved in the quantitative step of research and filled out an ad hoc survey; 15 took part in the qualitative step, by participating in the focus group discussions. Results show that adopted students face a variety of educational barriers in school environments and their educational paths are not always characterized by the principles of NG, suggesting that Italian schools are generally little equipped to promote the school achievement and inclusion of adopted students. The findings are discussed highlighting some practical implications to improve adopted students’ adjustment at school and underlining the need to promote specific training programs for teachers, better communication among partners involved in the adoption process, and measures aimed at supporting adoptive families.