Background:
Position papers of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EADSNE, 2015; 2022; 2024) recurringly state that "All learners of any age are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their local community, alongside their friends and peers." This decision is motivated by ethical, social, and economic factors. All European countries have declared their commitment to working in the same direction, but the legal frameworks and the levels of reflection and action achieved differ from country to country. Italy boasts a long tradition of integrating students with special educational needs into mainstream classrooms, implementing policies and measures to promote inclusion, and drafting operational guidelines for teachers. Purpose. This paper a) comparatively analyzes the regulatory provisions and some scientific works relating to the professional profiles of Italian teachers, specifically with regard to their inclusion skills, and b) connects these professional profiles with the training paths established by law. Of particular interest are the profiles and career paths of "support teachers," that is, specialized teachers appointed to support each class containing a student with a certified impairment. Recent regulatory developments (Ministerial Decree 75/2025, Ministerial Decree 77/2025) have introduced new training agencies that support universities in previously defined and still active specialization paths (Ministerial Decree 30/09/2011).

Methodology:
The study is the result of a critical-reflexive analysis. This practice, supported by several authors in the literature (Freire, 1970; Schon, 1983) for individual (for the benefit of an individual) or collective-systemic (for the benefit of a community) application, allows for a better definition of professional roles in complex environments (in this case, the inclusive teacher) and is intended as a contribution to institutional decision-makers within a constant process of improvement. Results. This paper a) summarizes the main similarities and significant differences between the inclusive teacher profiles proposed in the scientific literature and those defined by law; b) discusses the degree of consistency of the training paths currently in place in Italy. The analysis shows that, despite some notable differences, there is a good overlap between the profiles, but the training paths organized by the various training agencies are highly differentiated, without an appropriate national monitoring and evaluation system having been institutionalized for the time being.

Conclusions:
The typical heterogeneity of today's school classes and the constant increase in the number of students with proven special educational needs require the presence of "new" teachers, education and training professionals all oriented towards inclusion. The selection and consolidation of one or more skill development models for trainee and/or in-service teachers requires a critical reflection on the existing paths.

Keywords: School, inclusion, Italian educational system, critical-reflective analysis.