Institutional efficiency in inclusive teacher training across Latin America’s five largest educational systems

Purpose This study aims to examine institutional efficiency in inclusive teacher training policies across Latin American educational systems, addressing the implementation gap between policy commitments and classroom outcomes for students with disabilities. Design/methodology/approach Using longitudinal comparative analysis across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru from 2019 to 2024, the research employed principal component analysis, multiple regression and data envelopment analysis to construct efficiency indices and measure relative performance. Findings Institutional efficiency explained 58.7–68.1% of variance in enrollment, retention and completion rates for students with disabilities. Brazil achieved perfect efficiency (1.000) in 2023–2024, while regional efficiency gaps decreased from 32.4% to 14.3%. Practical implications Less efficient countries can achieve substantial outcome improvements through better resource utilization rather than increased funding, with specific efficiency targets ranging from 10 to 25 percentage points identified for each country. Social implications Efficiency improvements demonstrate that institutional capacity building can reduce educational inequities for students with disabilities, contributing to social inclusion goals and evidence-based policy development. Originality/value This represents the first systematic measurement of institutional efficiency in inclusive teacher training across multiple Latin American countries, introducing quantitative benchmarks and data envelopment analysis to educational inclusion policy evaluation.