Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress International Special Education Conference Inclusion: Celebrating Diversity? 1st - 4th August 2005. Glasgow, Scotland

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From Mexico to Chile:   Assessing The Advancement of Inclusive
Education Practices in Two Latin American Republics

Todd V. Fletcher, Ph.D.
The University of Arizona
toddf@u.arizona.edu
Margarita Martinez de Ramos, Ph.D.
mmartinezra@terra.com.mx

The 1990s were interesting and exciting years for the field of special education, during which the inclusive education movement gained great momentum worldwide (Karagiannis, Stainback, & Stainback, 1996) . In spite of this, educating children with disabilities is a modern-day challenge for the people of the Americas. According to Porter (2001) using even the lower-range estimates, a simple demographic projection confirms there are millions of children with disabilities in the Americas. This is due mainly to the fact that the educational systems in the region may be limited by the lack of infrastructure, educated and prepared professionals to provide ample coverage, and a lack of educational resources to adequately address the growing numbers of children with special educational needs.

This paper will highlight the current status and advancements made in Mexico and Chile respectively during the last 10 plus years in their attempt to comply with international policies and practices and national mandates focusing on the provision of services to children with special educational needs. It will examine the practice of inclusive education in Mexico and Chile in the context of global educational reform initiatives and the resulting impact on special education teachers.   Similarities and differences in the provision of services to students with special educational needs with and without disabilities in each country will be discussed. Information on new legislation, recent initiatives in professional development, pedagogy and practice that are designed to provide responsive educational programs for students with special educational needs in these two countries will be discussed. Personal experience working with local, state and federal governments in both countries supplemented with research findings carried out in each country will be used to illustrate the current status of inclusive education through the eyes of teachers, specialists and administrators.  

Current Context in Mexico and Chile.

Inclusion of children with disabilities began formally in Chile in 1990 with the publication of Decree #490, followed shortly thereafter in 1994 with the passage of Law 19284 which addressed the social integration of individuals with disabilities.   This decree led to the promulgation of Decree #1 in 1998 which established norms for the integration of students with disabilities in educational settings.   In Mexico, the Constitution was amended through the General Education Law (Secretaria de Educación Publica, 1993)   and emphasized that the state has the obligation to serve all persons who have disabilities and special educational needs and that the Dirección General de Educación Especial [General Directorate of Special Education] should pursue a policy of educational integration (Dirección General de Educacion Especial [DGEE], 1994). In 2003, the Mexican Congress approved the first piece of legislation for people with disabiities “Ley Federal para Personas con Discapacidad (Federal Law for Individuals with Disabilities) containing chapters addressing the areas of education, health, labor, commuication and basic rights.

In 2002, a new special education reform initiative, “The National Program for Strengthening Special Education and Inclusive Education” was released and put in to action to address more comprehensively the needs of individuals with disabilities. The program has as its primary goals the establishment of regulatory guidelines for special education service provision to students with disabilities to include planned follow up and an interdisciplinary evaluation to insure that educational integration or inclusion becomes the norm in all schools providing basic education throughout the country.   This nationally directed program requires that all teachers receive coursework and professional development to insure that children and youth with special educational needs and gifts and talents receive the appropriate education.

The Emergence of Special Educational Needs

In many countries including those in Latin America the term ‘special educational needs’ has replaced the term ‘special education’ and extends beyond those individuals traditionally included only in the disability categories. This concept of ‘special educational needs’ is a result of the Declaration of Salamanca, Framework for Action “Principles, Politics and Practice for Special Educational Needs” at the Salamanca conference in Spain in 1994. This shift in nomenclature and practice correspond with the definition of inclusive education as defined by UNESCO (2003).   Their definition states that it:

is concerned with providing appropriate responses to the broad spectrum of learning needs in formal and non-formal education settings.   Rather than being a marginal theme on how some learners can be integrated in the mainstream education, inclusive education is an approach that looks into how to transform education systems in order to feel comfortable with diversity and to see it as a challenge and enrichment in the learning environment, rather than a problem (p. 2).

Since the Declaration in Salamanca, most countries including those in Latin America have aligned themselves with this shift and adopted the much broader definition of   a student with special educational needs as that person who in comparison to his peer group, has difficulties learning the established curriculum content, and as a result requires additional resources or different resources to achieve the educational goals and objectives of the curriculum.   Based on data gathered by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) at the OECD (2000; 2003), the term special educational needs is widely used but the description varies considerably across countries.   In some countries it refers only to students with disabilities, in others it includes those with disabilities and learning difficulties, students from socially disadvantaged or ethnic minority backgrounds and in some gifted children are included under the heading as well.   At a recent meeting of the OECD in Mexico City, discussion centered on the uniformity of criteria across countries regarding the different categories of ‘special educational needs’. The goal of the discussion was to determine if the member states could reach consensus on the criteria for determining the different categories of ‘special educational needs’.   Once agreement was achieved by the member states then a system wide data collection system could be implemented by which statistics and indicators on individuals with special educational needs could be gathered, analyzed, and reported with greater accuracy.   It would most importantly begin to provide standardization for comparing different participating nation states.   Table 1 below is taken from the Chilean educational system and presents diagnostic types by the depth and severity of the diagnosis.

Teacher Education and Professional Development in Special Education

            Throughout the globe, educational reform in general education has been the clarion call used to advance needed changes in the provision of basic education services to all children including those with special educational needs. What has been the impact of educational reform on the day to day practices of teachers to date?   As stated by Fletcher & Artiles (2005).

An important question to ask as we survey the changing educational landscape of Mexico (and Chile) within the context of new legislative mandates, international and national decrees, and governmental initiatives aimed at retooling special education is, to what degree have these reforms filtered down to the classroom and transformed the practices of teachers engaged in the education of students with special educational needs?  

Table 1

Diagnostic Types for Especial Educational Needs

According to depth and severity

(Source: Lucy Gomez, Special Education Supervisor, Valparaiso Chile)

            This question clearly resonates throughout the globe as educational systems restructure and reform with the goal to improve and increase the educational outcomes of all students.   The availability of appropriately trained professionals or lack thereof is one of the key elements in the provision of quality special education services to individuals with special educational needs. Findings from a recent study in Mexico (Fletcher, et al, 2003; 2004)   indicate that a lack of teacher preparation for educational integration is, and continues to be, pervasive in the educational profession (Bunch, Lupart, & Brown, 1997; Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1996). As noted by Edmunds (2000), “Teachers have many concerns about the overall concept. . . . However, teachers have identified, in no uncertain terms, that their overwhelming concern is about their lack of skills and training to carry out their professional duties” (p. 14).

Both Mexico and Chile share this challenge of ensuring that teachers are equipped to teach pupils with special educational needs. To make inclusive education a success, teachers in training need a thorough pre-service program and an on-going in-service training professional development program to develop new skills and approaches (Perner & Porter, 1998). Teaching is a profession of ever changing demands and to make educational integration a success teachers require skills such as adapting curriculum, using a variety of instructional strategies, collaborative and problem solving skills, designing individual education plans and monitoring student programs.

The preparation of special education teachers and institutions such as universities and state schools for teachers (Normal Schools) who provide professional training have not kept pace with the transformation and restructuring of special education as a part of the total educational reform movement that took place during the 1990’s. The curriculum and programs of study in undergraduate programs in Mexico imparted to students by the Normal Schools providing specialization in special education dated back to 1985 and did not reflect current demands and changes in the orientation and provision of services to students.   In 2004, under the Program for the Transformation and Academic Strengthening of Normal Schools, a new curriculum was released for students seeking an undergraduate teaching degree in special education. In Chile, teacher preparation programs are provided by universities not Normal Schools and the curricular plan of study   is authorized by the Chilean Ministry of Education and permits some alternative plans. The current push for inclusive education and the provision of education to students with special educational needs requires that all teachers take responsibility for the learning of all students in their classrooms.   Attention to diversity as a theme in the educational reform process requires that all institutions providing in-service and pre-service teacher education programs must include issues pertaining to inclusive practices as in pedagogies for diversity, disability issues, and understanding processes to address barriers to learning and development.   In Mexico, prior to the announcement of the Program for Strengthening Special Education and Inclusive Education in 2002 there had been several federal initiatives that promoted professional development for special education personnel as an in-service activity. At the federal level policy makers have now redesigned and released a new plan of study for special education professionals that is intended to be more congruent with the current demands of integrated schools and classrooms.   Meanwhile in Chile many professional schools and universities with direction from the Ministry of Education have redesigned their programs of study to coincide with the new emerging roles of professional to maximize the process of educational integration and inclusion.  

The Changing Roles of Special Educators

            In a series of focus group studies (Fletcher, Dejud, Klingler & Mariscal Lopez, 2003; 2004) carried out in urban and rural settings in Mexico and Chile the authors examined the changing paradigm of special education during the since the passage of special education legislation and initiation of reforms in both countries and the resulting impact on the practices of regular classroom and special education teachers working within a new legal framework and newly designed models of service delivery. A number of important themes emerged.   Among the most salient concerns expressed were the top down manner in which the new system of educational integration was imposed on them, the general lack of preparation prior to the implementation of integration efforts and the resulting confusion regarding the roles and responsibilities of practicing teachers. Other themes accentuated the absence of communication and dialogue among teachers working in integrated schools, the lack of administrative support to promote and support inclusive education practices, and little parent involvement.   In Mexico, teachers found little time to collaborate and plan cooperatively since the majority of teachers work two shifts at two different schools.   In Chile with the extension of the school day teachers agreed that their were more opportunities for greater collaboration but frequently time was not set aside due to other priorities of the schools. In both countries most teachers believe in the importance of integrating students with disabilities into the regular classroom, but expressed their unpreparedness to integrate students with disabilities into their classrooms and make the curricular adaptations with class sizes ranging from 45 to 55 students in small unequipped and crowded classrooms.    

Conclusion

            In summary, the findings suggested that that regardless of the country, the problems faced by professionals who are working to change attitudes, practices and policies are similar and require similar strategies to resolve them.   These findings are in concert with a report on inclusive education in Latin America by Willms (2000) that reported factors critical to improving the educational outcomes of children. The author cites class size, teachers working more than one job, lack of parental involvement, ability grouping and a positive learning environment as salient elements to improve school quality and inclusive practice.   To focus soley on the improvement of teacher education and increased professional development would be to ignore other realities present in actuality. In general, attempting to bring about systemic change by focusing on one aspect of the system without examining the greater context of social and economic policies of a particular country (i.e. lack of human resources development in Latin America due to the lack of educational investment in the citizenry) will have little success in reducing poverty, combating inequality, and impeding economic development throughout Latin America.

            We concur that educational reform must concern itself with more than mere rhetoric, discourse and legislation.    It is clear that in spite of the monumental reform initiatives and declarations during the past 10 plus years in Mexico and Chile, pronouncements, declarations and mandates will not be sufficient if the necessary resources are not provided to restructure educational systems using a systemic approach to create educational environments conducive to inclusivity and equity. It would appear that the move toward educational integration (integración educativa) has been thrust upon educational systems using a top down approach without the involvement, proper preparation or training of professionals. There is a well known Mexican saying that applys in this case, “Entre el dicho y el hecho hay mucho trecho”.   In other words the gap between what is stated and postulated and what is actually occurring is quite vast.

To insure that reforms in these two republics take hold and result in the successful provision of educational integration and equitable education of students with special educational needs will require the involve and commitment of all stakeholders in the educational community.  

REFERENCES

Bunch, G., Lupart, J., & Brown, M. (1997, April). Resistance and acceptance: Educator attitudes to inclusion of students with disabilities. North York, England: York University.

Dirección General de Educación Especial. (1994). Bases para una politica de educación especial [Political bases for special education]. Mexico City: Author.

Edmunds, A. (2000, July). Substantive changes in teachers’ roles and developing inclusive practices in Nova Scotia schools. Paper presented at the International Special Education Congress 2000, University of Manchester, Manchester, England.

Fletcher, T., & Artiles, A.J. (In press) Inclusive education and equity in

Latin America. In Contextualizing Inclusive Education, Routledge Farmer, London.

Fletcher, T., Klingler, C., Mariscal Lopez, I. & Dejud, C. (2004). Paradigmas cambiantes en la educación especial en México: Voces desde esta área.   Revista CDA, 5, pp. 2-13.

Fletcher, T., Klingler, C., Mariscal Lopez, I. & Dejud, C. (2003). The changing paradigm of special education in Mexico: Voices from the field. The Bilingual Research Journal. 27(3), 409-430.

Karagiannis, A., Stainback, W., & Stainback, S. (1996). Rationale for inclusive schooling. In S. Stainback & W. Stainback (Eds.), Inclusion: A guide for educators (pp. 3–16). London: Paul H. Brookes. Krueger, R. A. (1988).

OECD (2000). Besoins educatifs particuliers: statistiques et indicateurs. Paris: OECD.

OECD (2003). Incapacites, troubles de l'apprentissage sociaux: statistiques et indicateurs pour l'acces au cursus scolaire et pour l'equite (in preparation). Paris: OECD.

Perner, D. & Porter, G.L., (1998). Creating inclusive schools: Changing roles and strategies, In Hilton, A. & Ringlaben, R. (Eds.). Besting and Promising Practices in Developmental Disabilities. Austin, Texas:Pro-Ed.

Porter, G. L. (2001, March). Disability and inclusive education. Paper presented at the seminar on inclusion and disability. Santiago, Chile.

Secretaria de Educacion Publica. (1993). Ley general de educacion [General Education Law]. Mexico City: Author.

Scruggs,   T.   E., & Mastropieri,   M. A. (1996). Teacher perceptions of mainstreaming/inclusion, 1958–1995: A research synthesis. Exceptional Children, 63(1), 59–74.

UNESCO.   (2003).   Education towards inclusion.   Retrieved October 13, 2003, from http://portal.unesco.org/education/ev.php?URL_ID=12078&
URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201

Willms, J. D. (2000). Standards of Care: Investments to Improve Children’s Educational Outcomes in Latin America. Paper presented at “Year 2000 Conference on Early Childhood Development”, (April 2000). World Bank, Washington, D.C.

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