Reading and understanding texts of all kinds form a basic competence for participating in social and cultural life and for being successful on a job. Although most European adolescents have adequate reading competences at their disposal by the end of school, about a quarter of them cannot meet the minimal standards. The urgency of this societal…

This paper discusses curriculum reform in Italy. Teachers should offer a global approach to education while teaching civic education to students. Referred to as "making culture," civic education should contain content that satisfies the criteria of validity, significance, interest, and student learning. Schools should create new…