In a collaborative push to transform how students with special educational needs (SEN) are supported across St. Maarten’s education system, two regional education organizations have joined forces to launch a groundbreaking two-year pilot initiative.
Dominica-based Education, Consulting, Academic Advising and Mentoring (ECAAM) and St. Maarten’s SKOS Catholic Education Foundation officially introduced Project INSPIRE at a recent media event held in St. Maarten, according to an official press release from ECAAM.
The acronym INSPIRE stands for Inspiring, Nurturing, Support, for Professional, and Responsive, Inclusive Education, reflecting the program’s core mission: to equip educators with the tools they need to better serve SEN students, refine evidence-based teaching practices, and build more welcoming, inclusive learning communities across participating schools.
Gianne Wilson-De Weever, Curriculum Director at the SKOS Training Center, emphasized that the initiative centers on two key goals: improving long-term academic and social outcomes for SEN students, and giving educators hands-on, practical resources to address the diverse learning profiles they encounter in everyday classrooms.
Unlike many traditional special education programs that focus solely on in-class instruction, Project INSPIRE takes a holistic, community-wide approach, explained Ivy Benjamin, ECAAM facilitator for the initiative. The program will kick off with targeted professional development training for both teachers and school leaders, who will then have opportunities to test and refine new techniques in their own classrooms. Beyond school walls, the initiative will also host educational workshops for parents and run public awareness campaigns designed to build broader public understanding of disability and foster more inclusive communities for people living with disabilities.
Benjamin added that the pilot will prioritize three core areas: evidence-based instruction, personalized student assessment, and wraparound student support, all delivered through ongoing professional development, cross-regional collaboration, and proven teaching methodologies.
Beverly LeBlanc, lead consultant for ECAAM, shared that educators from six St. Maarten schools will take part in the pilot: Sister Regina Primary School, St. Dominic Primary School, St. Dominic High School, St. Joseph Catholic School of Education, Sister Borgia Elementary School, and St. Maarten Seventh Day Adventist School. Through the program, participating teachers will build skills to identify individual student needs, adapt instructional methods to match those needs, and create classroom environments where all students can participate and thrive.
The initiative has received critical financial backing from a coalition of local St. Maarten businesses, including Winair, Winward Island Bank, Artmenia Events Planning, Accessible Ventures, and The Hope-Ros Family.
Following the official launch, Lilia Aventurin-Hodge, Executive Director of the SKOS Catholic Education Foundation, told local media outlet Richie Ferrol Media Services that Project INSPIRE arrives at a critical moment for expanding equitable educational opportunities for students with disabilities across the island. She praised LeBlanc’s deep commitment and subject-matter expertise, calling the launch a strong, positive starting point for the two-year pilot. Aventurin-Hodge also highlighted the initiative’s broader societal goal: helping children with special needs develop the skills they need to grow into fully integrated, functional members of their communities.
The partnership between ECAAM and the SKOS Catholic Education Foundation will run for the full two-year duration of the pilot. For context, the SKOS Catholic Education Foundation is a leading Catholic education organization that operates a network of primary and secondary schools across St. Maarten. Catholic education on the island traces its roots back to 1890, when the first Dominican Sisters arrived to serve the community. Today, SKOS continues to prioritize the holistic development of students, supporting their academic, spiritual, social, and emotional growth. The organization’s school network works proactively to address individual student needs, while encouraging innovation, ongoing teacher professional development, and cross-sector partnerships that strengthen local education. In addition to its traditional school offerings, SKOS already supports targeted programs focused on inclusive education, student well-being, and specialized learning needs, including the well-established Mustard Seed Special Needs Program.