Dear teachers, school leaders, and parents, this book is published within the framework of research actions funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Program under the “Let’s Care” Project No. 101059425, which aims to combat school dropout (www.letscareproject.eu) by the Janusz Korczak Research Center of the permanent school network Polo Europeo della Conoscenza – I.C. Bosco Chiesanuova (www.europole.org). Janusz Korczak was a great Polish pedagogue killed in the Treblinka extermination camp with his two hundred Jewish children at the hands of the Nazi regime who throughout his life placed “The Child’s Right to Respect” at the center of his pedagogical research.

The Freinet Schools of Liège is a book born as a synthesis of the research and observations carried out by the group of teachers, researchers, psychologists, and pedagogues who participated in the visit to the Freinet schools in Liège in March 2024. This book summerize a dense and constructive experience, made possible by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ adult mobility program and through the National Agency in Florence (INDIRE). Eight teachers from different schools across Italy participated in the visit. Their contribution made this publication possible, which I hope will help and guide you in understanding Freinet pedagogy. Some might wonder: why look to the pedagogical research of Célestin Freinet from a century ago as a valid and innovative pedagogical model for today’s school? The answer is simple: like all the great pedagogues of the last century, Freinet placed the right of children and young people to be respected in their growth factors and identities in a context of expressive freedom at the center. However, to understand how constructive the experience in Liège was, it is good to take a step back and briefly recount who Célestin Freinet was and what he believed in.