Foreign students in special education in Spain. Segregation versus inclusion of minorities at school

Numerous worldwide studies have addressed the issue of disproportionate representation of students belonging to ethnic or cultural minorities in special education. No detailed studies on this phenomenon exist in Spain although various European institutions point to the existence of this inequality. In this study, special education in Spain is approached from an anthropological and pedagogical perspective, reflecting on its ways of functioning. The possible existence of disproportionate representation of foreign students in specific special education schools and classrooms is explored through official statistical data and interviews held with professionals (teachers and educational psychologists) in the school environment. For the statistical part of our research, a Z-Score indicator was used. Statistical significance of this disproportion in the schooling data is presented. Semi-structured interviews held with professionals in the field of special education provided the data. The results of our analyses here presented made us wonder whether cultural factors of certain school populations influence – or not – the entry into special education. In other words, is it possible that diagnostic methods for special education consider factors that are external to possible disabilities? Are diagnostic methods for special education appropriate to use with populations from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds? Are racist practices taking place? The a priori answers to these questions reveal overt discrimination. However, it is not perceived in the same manner at school. The discourses produced in this research confront this scenario of possible segregation with the firm will for inclusion and equal treatment the discourse of the school system promotes. To try to understand this apparent contradiction, the meanings of the discourses of professionals in the field of special education are interpreted. Some strategies are proposed that should be followed in an attempt to make the ‘discriminatory’ structural position of the school and the ‘well-intentioned’ determination of the professionals who work in it coexist.