¿Qué entendemos por educación inclusiva en Latinoamérica y en Euskadi?

Although inclusive education is an internationally recognized right, there is still significant tension between theory and practice. This study presents the perceptions of primary and secondary school teachers in the Basque Country (Spain) and several Latin American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala) who work in vulnerable educational settings. The aim of the study is to identify what is meant by educational inclusion and what barriers exist to achieving it. Using a qualitative research methodology, focus groups were designed, differentiated by stage and country in the first phase; in the second phase, these were reorganized into mixed groups according to the origin of the participants. Each session was recorded and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed using NVIVO 1.3 software. The results reflect some of the common perceptions that teachers have in such diverse territories, such as the view of integration versus inclusion beyond the political commitment to full inclusion. Some of the challenges facing societies in order to continue advancing in inclusive processes are highlighted, such as the investment of resources and the involvement of social agents beyond the school communities themselves. At the same time, the progress made in recent decades is recognized.