Abstract
This text is the result of analysis and comparison of private Italian schools of cities of São Paulo and Curitiba. In the former, schools were subsidized only by the Italian government, because the local government intended to expand the number of places in public schools. In the latter, the schools were subsidized by both the Italian government and the government of the state of Paraná. We intended to acknowledge the role of the Portuguese language in those schools by giving preference to primary and secondary documentary sources made by local authorities. Authors such as Cervo (1992) and Salvetti (2000) were taken into account. Our sample was made up of three schools in each of the cities. The schools carried out activities with an aim to the maintenance of identity of Italian immigrants, and though the national language was to be taught, the priority was the teaching of the Italian language.
Key-words:
italian schools; identity; history of education