Are Spanish schools for inclusion? A systematic review of the measures in response to diversity

Abstract

All children, regardless of their characteristics, have the right to access an inclusive education system. However, in Spain, there is a recurring violation of the rights of some children, which justifies the need for research focused on analysing and improving the educational inclusiveness. One of the main issues are the measures in response to diversity that are initially aimed at reducing or removing barriers to inclusion but not always succeed. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to analyse the reality of these measures and to identify the obstacles that hinder their implementation. To do so, a systematic review of the recent state of four of the main measures has been carried out related to three dimensions of analysis: concept; inclusiveness; and strengths and weaknesses. The main result is that all measures for inclusion can lead to inclusion or segregation depending on how there are oriented and implemented in each context. We can conclude the Spanish education system is subject to ambiguous regulations that do not always generate inclusive policies, cultures, and practices, producing in some cases, more exclusion and inequality. New lines of critical and contextual research are needed based on contradictions and barriers found in the analysis.