The Association for Values in Education is celebrating 10 years of involvement that have irreversibly transformed education in Romania

• More than 200,000 children as beneficiaries of the AVE programmes throughout the first 10 years of activity

• More than 370 schools involved

• More than 260 school headmasters supported to become leaders of change in education

• More than 6,000 headmasters have been recommended to apply for the Headmasters of the Year Gala

• Standardised tools to measure pupil, teacher and headmaster skills

• Total revenues raised by AVE amounting to 9.5 million Euro

Bucharest, September 22, 2025. Throughout the ten years of activity, The Association for Values in Education (AVE) has contributed to the irreversible change of Romania’s education system through innovative, customized projects that have empowered headmasters and teachers to reinvent their schools in a way that places students at the centre of the educational process. More than 200,000 children have benefitted from the organisation’s programmes, and 60,000 of these are currently supported under ongoing projects.

By way of tailor-made interventions, AVE has accompanied more than 370 schools along transformation processes, has supported 260 headmasters in becoming leaders of change and has had an impact upon more than 18,000 teachers, strengthening school ecosystems where students can receive an education that fulfils them. 

Leadership to reinvent the Romanian schooling system

AVE is the first association in Romania that has advocated for the school headmasters’ capacity to become inspirational leaders and effective managers, so as to be able to transform their own educational establishments and thereafter the entire education system. The Leadership and Educational Management Academy (ALMS) programme has trained leaders capable of mobilizing resources, developing strategic visions, and inspiring lasting change within educational communities. Approximately 76,000 students have felt the impact of the interventions in the programme. Each headmaster was accompanied by a business mentor, who played an essential role in the process of acquiring management and leadership skills, identifying problems and resources, and creating an action plan.

AVE has promoted headmasters who act with courage, perseverance, and vision to make school a better place for children, teachers, and the community, by means of the Headmasters of the Year Gala. The Gala jury comprises individuals from several areas, who are able to assess from complementary angles a headmaster’s work (HR managers from top companies, business leaders, journalists, representatives of ONGs active in education and of the Ministry of Education, pupils and winning headmasters of previous editions). Since 2017, more than 6,000 headmasters have been recommended, whereas the 34 winning headmasters became leadership models in education.

Tailor-made programmes designed to transform schools

AVE has developed interventions tailored to the needs of each school in which it was involved. In the initial phase, Edu Networks (2019-2023) supported thorough and irreversible change across the schools in Romania. The programme was graduated by 101 schools and had a real impact for 3,600 teachers and 64,000 students and pre-school pupils. It was coordinated by AVE and implemented with the support of eight education-driven non-profit organisations. 

HumanKind, completed in August 2023, was the social-emotional education programme developed by AVE in partnership with MindUP | The Goldie Hawn Foundation, to support teachers in creating learning opportunities for students within a safe and open environment. Each school benefitted from a mentor in the form of a psychologist or a psychotherapist, who guided the team. HumanKind was implemented in 12 schools and had an impact 1,500 students.

The Programme for the Transformation of Schools in Romania, launched in 2023, is developing the teachers’ and the headmasters’ skills and is strengthening the executive teams and their leadership and management skills, in order to support the development of students across all eight key skills – from literacy and STEM to social-emotional and digital skills. Currently, 100 schools are involved, with an estimated impact upon 60,000 children.

Public policies with real impact

AVE has brought its contribution to the new pre-academic education law, through the One Voice for Education alliance. Ultimately, 65% of the proposed reforms were transposed into law. AVE has helped setting up the Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS), a national structure that currently comprises headmasters from all the counties and has the mission of professionally enhancing school management and influencing public policies.

Data and tools for better decisions

In order to substantiate evidence-based change, AVE has developed, together with partners such as BRIO, standardised assessment tools for pupils, teachers and headmasters. As part of The Programme for the Transformation of Schools in Romania, 19,900 students were tested for literacy, whereas 22,200 were tested for social-emotional skills. The development of the Mathematical Literacy Test has made it possible to draw up the first National Report on Numerical Literacy in Romania. 

In order to assess educational leadership, a complex 360-degree self-assessment and feedback tool was created, so far used by 208 headmasters (as part of ALMS and The Transformation Programme). In order to assess the skills of teachers in pre-academic education, AVE and BRIO have developed a 360-degree assessment tool that allows a multiple and objective analysis of professional skills, based on self-assessment and the feedback collected from several sources: colleagues, students and parents. 

10 years of successful partnership and co-creation with the business environment

From the very beginning, AVE has brought the business environment into its projects, not only by raising funds, but also by involving people from the business sector in the co-creation of its projects. From revenues of 37,000 Euro in 2015, AVE reached in early 2025 a cumulative budget of 9.5 million Euro, raised with the support of 205 financing companies and 18 educational partners. Additionally, more than 830 supporters from the business environment have lent their skills and talent in support of the people working in the education system as mentors and coaches under the AVE projects.

„At AVE, we believe that each pupil has potential, however, in order to reach it, they need an ecosystem designed to support them. Over 10 years, we have built along our partners an educational ecosystem underpinned by an inspiring teacher, a united and high-performing management team and a headmaster dedicated to their community, capable to deliver to the latter the energy and force to evolve. Together we are transforming school from within, so that children should receive an education that helps them achieve, on all fronts, from skills and abilities to emotional balance and good health”, stated Simona Pavelescu, Executive Director of The Association for Values in Education.

About The Association for Values in Education

The Association for Values in Education is a non-profit organisation that has been contributing for 10 years to the transformation of the education system in Romania by way of programmes and projects developed starting from the needs of schools. AVE has outlined and implemented programmes designed to have an impact both for the school management and the teachers. AVE facilitates collaboration among private companies, school headmasters, civil society and NGOs active in education in order to create successes with an impact on the education system. You can stay in touch with all things AVE by following the de LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.