This presentation proposes an exploration of the geographies of alternative and experimental forms of education in mainstream schools for the first time. The research revolves around two main contributions: in the first instance, it investigates the circuits which guide parents’ choices on public schools, private schools, or schools with alternative experimentation; in the second instance, it analyses the experiences of the teachers and students in three school networks with experimentation which operate on a national scale. As such, it sits at the intersection of three wider areas of scholarship: children’s geographies, geography of education, geographies of alternative education._x000D_
In order to do this, a mixed method qualitative research programme conducted in Italy was implemented. It began in the spring of 2020, and after being modified due to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, it concluded in the spring of 2021. Thanks to the field research conducted in Italy, the presentation adds to the amplification of knowledge of the circuits of choice marking the training offer in Italian primary schools, which are in constant evolution. It also offers a glimpse of some attempts at experimentation within the mainstream and the relative experiences of the children and teachers who inhabit these schools. Therefore, it contributes to the literature on the geographies of education through a double track and, at the same time, it offers critical issues from an Italian perspective, providing ideas and insights to educational policy makers and those who handle building the school of tomorrow._x000D_

Giulia Chiara Ceresa
University of Birmingham

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ID Abstract: 143