Inclusion is not enough: structural misalignments and disputes in initial teacher Education for Inclusive Education in Uruguay

Abstract

This article analyzes the disputes and structural misalignments that shape inclusive education in Uruguay, based on an empirical study conducted within the field of initial teacher education. Adopting a mixed-methods approach and an ecological perspective, the study examines the relationships among educational policies, institutional conditions, and pedagogical practices in public schools participating in the APRENDER Program. The findings reveal a structural misalignment between adherence to inclusive discourse and the conditions required for its effective implementation, as well as the persistence of fragmented institutional dynamics that tend to individualize teacher responsibility. The results also highlight the role of teacher education, the ethical dimension of care, and emerging educational inequalities in digital contexts. Drawing on the Uruguayan case, the findings engage with contemporary debates in Latin America on inclusive education, teacher education, and persistent educational inequalities. The study concludes that inclusion alone is not enough, insofar as inclusive education constitutes a process shaped by political disputes and structural conditions that require transformation in order to ensure more equitable and participatory educational trajectories.