Indire

As well as its headquarters in Florence, it has three regional units in Turin, Rome and Naples. It is a public body, scientifically independent, and enjoys statutory, organisational, regulatory, administrative, financial, accounting and patrimonial autonomy (cf. the INDIRE's Articles of Association, Italian version). Since its foundation in 1925, the Institute has worked closely with the Italian school system, investing in training and innovation while supporting improvement processes in schools. INDIRE is thebenchmark for educational research in Italy. It develops new teaching models, tries out new technology for training courses, and fosters innovation redefining the relationship between space and time of learning and teaching. The Institute boasts consolidated experience inthe in-service training of teachers, administrative, technical and auxiliary staffas well as headmasters, and has been a leading player in some of the most important e-learning experiences in Europe. Together with INVALSI (National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education and Training system) and the inspectorate of the Italian Ministry of Education, INDIRE is a part of the National Evaluation System for Education and Training. In this field, the Institute develops actions to support educational improvement processes to raise teaching quality and pupils' achievements. INDIRE observes and documents the development of technical and vocational education and training curricula, and school-to-work transition, by means of quantitative and qualitative monitoring, data banks and research reports. Indire is also the Italian National Agency for Erasmus+, the European Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport 2014-2020. Additionally, it is the National Support Service for eTwinning - the community for teachers to connect, collaborate and share ideas in Europe - as well as for Epale - the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe - and for Eurydice, the network providing information on education systems and policies in 37 countries. At an international level, INDIRE is part of the EUN Consortium European Schoolnet, consisting of 31 European Ministries of Education, promoting innovation in teaching and learning in an international dimension. The Institute looks towards Europe also through its many collaborations which allow the creation of a network for cooperation, contacts, information flows and experience exchanges involving pupils, schools, enterprises and institutions in all European countries. Its long tradition has endowed the Institute with a historical archiveconsisting of a rich collection of XIX and XX Century books and documents, one of the few in Italy specialising in the collection and valorisation of documentary material on the history of education. Trasparency