BRAZILIAN SCHOOL INCLUSION: STRUCTURAL AND PEDAGOGICAL CHALLENGES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

Inclusive education has consolidated itself in recent decades as a guiding principle of educational policies in several countries, especially after the establishment of international documents that advocate the universal right to education. In Brazil, this movement has been incorporated into educational legislation through constitutional provisions, the National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional), and public policies aimed at the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream education. Despite these normative advances, the effective implementation of inclusion in public schools still faces significant obstacles related to the structural conditions of educational institutions, teacher training, and pedagogical practices adopted in everyday school life. In this context, this article analyzes the main structural and pedagogical challenges of inclusive education in Brazilian public schools, discussing the tensions between the discourse of educational policies and the reality experienced by school institutions. This is a theoretical study based on a literature review and analysis of educational documents, seeking to understand how institutional, organizational, and pedagogical factors influence the implementation of school inclusion. The results indicate that although Brazilian legislation has advanced in guaranteeing the right to education for all, challenges remain regarding school infrastructure, continuing teacher education, and the development of pedagogical practices capable of addressing the diversity present in classrooms.