Analysis of inclusive education in Romania Results from a survey conducted among teachers

In the last decades more and more countries have encouraged the idea of an inclusive society, a society open and flexible to the phenomenon of human diversity. In this context, the implementation of inclusive policies to integrate students with special educational needs in schools calls for actions from different fields: legal, political, organizational, from the field of psychology, pedagogy, sociology, social work, nursing etc. Measures shall be taken, from the individual to the social, seeking to ultimately transform society into a system capable of ensuring the integration of persons with special needs in community structures. Romanian schools are trying to adapt the educational offer in relation to the new directions of change in educational activities, as a consequence of inclusive educational programs. This study emphasizes the teachers' attitudes and perceptions about inclusive education in the Romanian education system. Conclusions are optimistic, but, at the same time, educational services must be changed and adapted to be more flexible and open to the diversity of children that live in the respective communities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.