Promoting Educational Inclusion Through Local Governance : a Case Study in Spain

Abstract

[Abstract] Within the framework of the research project “What are we forgetting in inclusive education? In participatory research in Galicia (PID2019-108775RB-C4)”, we developed a proposal that, based on the inclusion and community perspective, investigates the relationship between municipal corporations and educational centres for the design and implementation of the programmes that was municipally developed to promote educational inclusion. The role of municipalities as promoters of inclusion through educational programmes is analysed, focusing on the mediation of third-sector institutions. It also studies the demands of the agents that comprise a community perspective on inclusion. The qualitative–interpretative methodology is based on SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and CAME (correct, adapt, maintain and explore) techniques to contrast the congruence of existing initiatives with the needs of the educational community, synthesising information from 39 interviews. The results show deficient channelling of the schools’ demands into municipal programmes, which are mostly planned in collaboration with third-sector entities, without the participation of the school community. It is concluded that this demand for greater participation and collaboration is one of the main demands of the school community to promote inclusion at the local level.