With the central theme “Analysis and Quality: Evaluating the Education System”, the two-day event on 8 and 9 May 2026 focused on the need to promote a deep culture of self-evaluation and continuous improvement. The sessions encouraged participants to reflect on how to translate and bring out the Salesian identity and charism within the strategic and technical documents required by the Ministry of Education, such as the Self-Evaluation Report (RAV), the Three-Year Educational Plan (PTOF) and the Social Report.
The programme alternated between plenary sessions and group workshops. A particularly significant training session was provided by Damiano Previtali (President of the CSPI), who guided those present in an examination of the new frontiers of education: from the integration of transversal and non-cognitive skills to the latest tools for personalising study pathways.
The overall picture revealed a Salesian school undergoing profound transformation, supported by an educational community now composed overwhelmingly of lay teachers.
The highlight of the Assembly was the presentation and discussion of the policy document “Visions of the Future”, which sets out the strategic guidelines for the coming years. The fundamental objective guiding the Association will be to overcome the current local fragmentation in order to build a national school system that is increasingly coordinated and recognisable.
This systemic vision is based on four pillars: excellence in educational provision, the promotion of a clear and measurable charismatic identity, operational links between the various bodies within the internal network and, finally, strong institutional representation in civil and ecclesiastical bodies, in Italy and across Europe.
To give concrete form to these objectives, the Assembly identified several high- and medium-impact priorities. Among the most urgent are investments in the continuous formation of all staff and the pursuit of greater financial sustainability. Particular attention was paid to the need not to reduce the Salesian identity to a mere ‘slogan’, but to translate it into the technical language required by the Ministry and, above all, into ‘observable minimum practices’ in every school, such as the welcoming style, the procedures for the enrolment interview and the adoption of the Preventive System in assessment.
Finally, the “Visions for the Future” chart a new course for communication: schools are asked to adopt a more proactive mindset, to generate a conscious and modern appeal. To support this shift, new educational research projects will be promoted to demonstrate the added value of the Salesian model, and a digital archive will be implemented to share best practices across all schools in the network.
In summary, the National Assembly in Naples has outlined the portrait of a Salesian school system that is aware of the challenges of modernity, yet firmly anchored to its historic mission: to ensure the integral well-being of young people and to continue to be a welcoming “home” for those who wish to grow through learning.
Source: Don Bosco Italia
