This paper presents the final review and optimization phase of the Reflex tool, concluded in June 2025 and involving 88 schools across Italy.

Reflex is a self-assessment tool developed by INDIRE to explore key dimensions of school innovation. It consists of two online questionnaires—one for school leadership and staff, and one for teachers—and a resulting interactive report that summarizes the collected data. The report provides schools with a dual perspective on their innovation processes, highlighting both the level of organizational systematization (how innovation is structured and supported at the systemic level) and the degree of rootedness within the teaching community - that is, how innovation is accepted, embraced, and enacted in everyday educational practices.

The tool was developed through a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach (McKenney & Reeves, 2019; Anderson & Shattuck, 2012), structured in four iterative cycles: theoretical framing, tool design, field experimentation, and final review. The last phase (Oct 2024 – Jun 2025) involved 70 schools from the “Città dell’Educazione” project (supported by Fondazione per la Scuola della Compagnia di San Paolo) and 18 regional hub schools within the Avanguardie Educative movement.

During a one-hour online debriefing session with two researchers, each school was presented with its personalized Reflex report. The session, involving the principal and selected teachers, aimed to assess the clarity and perceived usefulness of the tool, verify the alignment between Reflex outcomes and the school’s self-perception, and explore its effectiveness in fostering reflection on innovation.

Feedback was thematically categorized and qualitatively analyzed. Most schools found the Reflex report clear, accessible, and conducive to collective reflection. The debriefings created space for principals and teachers to critically examine their innovation processes and internal representations.

Preliminary results from the pilot show that schools tend to report a more advanced level of systematization of innovation (the organizational level) than of its widespread adoption among teaching staff. This suggests that while strategic frameworks are often in place, the embedding of innovation into everyday practices remains uneven - highlighting the value of Reflex in surfacing such gaps and supporting deeper professional dialogue.

Keywords: Self-Assessment Tool, School Innovation, Design-Based Research.