Ana-Maria AGAPE, « Alexandru Ioan Cuza » University of Iasi, Romania
Corneliu IATU, « Alexandru Ioan Cuza » University of Iasi, Romania
More than 30 years after the fall of the communist regime, integrating special needs students into regular schools still remains a great challenge for the Romanian society. Long after the Romanian revolution of 1989, the organization of Romanian education kept the same structure with regular schools and specific educational institutions with a special destination according to the needs of the children they formed, without the two types of schools combine their efforts and without facilitating the integration of students to ensure an easier transition in society. Although the legislation has improved significantly, Romanian society is still very conservative and teachers show strong resistance to these changes and a lack of pedagogical preparation in working with these students. This study focuses on the evolution of the number of pupils with specific needs integrated in regular schools, especially after 2011, in the department of Neamt (located in the North-East of Romania) and the territorial mobility of these pupils. Most scientific studies regarding the integration of students with special needs are studies in the field of educational sciences. We are now trying a geographical approach on the spatial distribution of pupils with special needs in order to reveal the geographical disparities between the two environments, rural and urban. Our research is also directed towards the identification of a certain typology in the spatial distribution of regular schools which have integrated pupils with specific needs. Why are some schools more attractive than others for these students and their parents? Is there any link between the level of economic development in a region and the number of students integrated into regular schools? These are only two of the questions which generated this study and which will find the answer following our process.
Keywords: students with special needs|geographic disparities|migration|school inclusion|post-communist period
A103436AA