Integrating Children with Special Educational Needs into the School Environment 

Integrating Children with Special Educational Needs into the School Environment is a training project dedicated to teachers in Suceava County, structured as an intensive course covering both theoretical and practical components. In this course, experienced trainers instruct teaching staff on adapted teaching methods for students with SEN, individualized learning plans, and the creation of a structured classroom environment that accommodates different learning and processing styles.

The difference between a child with SEN and a neurotypical child lies not in potential, but in access. With the right support, children with SEN can thrive academically and socially; without it, they risk falling behind at every stage of their development.

To date, the program has been delivered across 8 sessions, each with 50 participants from fields connected to inclusive education:

• Session 1 (March 8 – April 7, 2025): 42 teachers, 7 primary school teachers, 1 psychologist
• Session 2 (May 24 – June 20, 2025): 12 teachers, 27 primary school teachers, 6 psychologists, 2 school counselors, 2 school inspectors, 1 curriculum coordinator
• Session 3 (October 27 – November 28, 2025): 17 teachers, 6 primary school teachers, 16 psychologists, 1 speech therapist, 1 IT specialist, 5 pedagogues, 1 psychopedagogue, 3 social workers
• Session 4 (December 2, 2025 – January 9, 2026): 18 teachers, 6 primary school teachers, 23 psychologists, 1 school counselor, 2 social workers
• Session 5 (January 23 – February 14, 2026): 40 teachers, 10 primary school teachers
• Session 6 (March 9–28, 2026): 30 teachers, 9 educators, 11 psychologists
• Session 7 (March 30 – May 5, 2026): 40 teachers, 8 primary school teachers, 2 educators
• Session 8 (May 11 – June 2, 2026): 50 teachers

The course runs for 60 hours, structured as follows:

• 40% theoretical activities: psychopedagogical and legislative foundations
• 60% practical and applied activities: case studies, instructional design exercises

Content is organized across 3 modules:

• Learning difficulties and differentiated education
• Psychopedagogical counseling
• Inclusive school management

The participant profile has diversified significantly from one year to the next, shifting from a focus on primary and lower secondary education toward a much more balanced representation across all levels, including CJRAE specialists (school counselors, speech therapists, itinerant and support teachers).

A key objective of the program is the involvement of teachers from rural areas, where access to training is typically more limited. In 2024–2025, 64% of participants (64 out of 100) came from rural settings. In 2025–2026, as the program expanded to 300 teachers, the rural share decreased to 32.34% (97 out of 300), reflecting broader coverage in urban areas of the county as well.

The county conference "Integrating Children with Special Educational Needs into the School Environment: Perspectives and Aspirations", held on January 22nd at the Sports High School in Suceava, brought together teachers, inspectors, specialists, and representatives from higher education with a shared interest in the inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools. Discussions included contributions from former program participants, as well as testimonies from parents and beneficiaries, underscoring that educational inclusion remains a collective effort, not merely an institutional responsibility.

Beyond supporting the program and the conference, the ASSIST Humanitarian Foundation provided financial backing for each of the 8 sessions, ensuring that participation fees would not be a barrier for teaching staff:

• 20,000 RON, covering the full participation fees for the 50 enrolled participants in each training session
• 25,000 RON, in the form of special scholarships awarded to participants who successfully complete the program
• 12,500 RON, in the form of incentives granted to trainers in support of a more accessible and flexible educational environment 

The continuing education program "Integrating Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) into the School Environment" is part of the professional development offering of the "George Tofan" Teachers' Resource Center in Suceava and is a program accredited by the Ministry of Education.

The accreditation process began in October 2023, in collaboration with specialists from the Suceava County Center for Educational Resources and Assistance (CJRAE) and was completed in December 2024 through Ministerial Order no. 7890/23.12.2024. Implementation was made possible through the partnership between the Suceava County School Inspectorate and the ASSIST Humanitarian Foundation.

What is SEN?

Children with Special Educational Needs include those with learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, attention and hyperactivity difficulties, speech and communication difficulties, physical disabilities, as well as emotional or behavioral differences.

At national level, the number of students with SEN enrolled in mainstream education nearly tripled between 2019 and 2023. In April 2024, Romania had 71,234 students with SEN, of whom 51,784 were in mainstream schools and 19,450 in special schools.

In Suceava County, at the same date, there were only 53 support teachers, each covering an average of 35 students with SEN. In the 2024–2025 school year, 2,620 of the 4,201 students with SEN registered in the SIIIR system were in mainstream schools; in 2025–2026, the figures were 2,508 out of 4,106. The international TALIS 2024 study confirms that training for working with students with SEN remains one of the most pressing professional development needs for teachers in Romania.