¿What does the Chilean Policy say about School Integration?: A Critical Analysis from the perspective of Equity

Abstract

This draft focuses on the analysis of current Chilean government policies and their executive application in educational establishments regarding educational inclusion. Specifically, the Chilean National School Integration Policy aims to include all children with some Special Educational Needs in the Regular School System. The objective is to analyze, from the perspective of equity, the main characteristics of integration policy, identify who are the main beneficiaries and what are the threats and opportunities for the development of equity in schools, to conclude with some recommendations based on the perspective of equity (Ainscow et al., 2012) identifying appropriate strategies to respond to diversity according to the context in which families and the educational community are immersed. The research method is conceived under a qualitative, descriptive approach, using the analysis of written discourse as the main tool. The main findings are related to the poor promotion of equity and inclusion, due to the commodification of education and the promotion of competition over cooperation, it is reflected in obtaining optimal results in standardized tests and with it the segregation of less favored segments; despite the fact that international and national efforts are oriented in the direction of inclusion and justice there are structural problems of society as a whole which deepen and perpetuate the inequities that already exist in the Chilean educational system.