Archivo

Cecilia María Azorín Abellán. University of Murcia. cmaria.azorin@um.es
Marta Sandoval Mena. Autonomous University of Madrid.

Received: September 27, 2018. Final acceptance: February 1, 2019

ABSTRACT: The objective of the study presented was to review the guides offered in the field of educational research to support schools in developing more inclusive practices. Therefore, the text includes a content analysis carried out on a compendium of thirteen guides (mostly published in English) that address the following aspects: the purpose for which they were created, the perspective of inclusion from which they originate, the target audience, the stage in which they have greater functionality, the strategies for action they propose, the basic structure on which they are based, the dimensions and indicators on which they stimulate reflection, and the tools and instruments they propose for evaluation. This qualitative approach has made it possible to investigate the steps that these documents recommend for educational centers to undertake the so-called journey towards inclusion. The conclusions point to the need to use and disseminate the content of these types of resources in Spanish-speaking contexts, generating spaces for reflection and debate that contribute to the advancement of this non-negotiable pedagogical asset.

KEYWORDS: guides; inclusive education; school improvement; documentary analysis.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to review the guides available in the educational research literature that support the development of more inclusive practices. The paper, therefore, reports on the analyses of a compendium of thirteen guides (mainly published in English) that address the following aspects: the purposes for which they were created, the perspective of inclusion they take as their starting point, the target readership, the stage at which they are most functional, the action strategies proposed, the basic structure on which they are founded, the dimensions and indicators used to stimulate reflection and the evaluation tools and instruments put forward. The approach is of a qualitative nature and enables us to enquire into the steps these papers recommend education centers should take in their journeys towards inclusion. The conclusions point to the need to make use of and to make known these types of resources in the Spanish speaking world by generating spaces for reflection and debate that will help to advance in this field.

KEY WORDS: guides; inclusive education; school improvement; documentary analysis.

1. Transforming Reality: The Challenge of Inclusion

Preparing youth for an inclusive and sustainable world is one of the priority objectives of the contemporary educational agenda (OECD, 2018). However, how to make societies, and therefore schools, more inclusive is not a question with an easy answer. In terms of inclusion, if the aim is to transform reality, small steps must be taken, the path must be guided, and levers for change must be provided to allow this pending revolution (inclusive revolution) to take place with guarantees of success. Thus, we agree with other colleagues who position inclusive education as an aspiration and perspective from which to analyze the challenges posed by equity in education (Ainscow, 2015; Echeita, 2017; Messiou, 2017). 

Today, we face the challenge of reaching all processes and systems of practices (Puig-Roviraet al., 2012), so that they configure and determine a new school grammar that firmly sustains the commitment to the values and principles of inclusive education (Booth and Ainscow, 2015). 

It is necessary to understand that inclusion is not just another trend in educational research, but an obligation for organizations, administrators, and policymakers, who must listen to the demands of citizens and reverse the perverse effects of an education system that does not fully guarantee the needs of all its students. It can be stated that not only in Spain, but also in other countries inside and outside of Europe, what we have come to call “inclusive despotism” is growing. This term was coined to describe the perpetuation of “everything for inclusion, but without inclusion,” an approach that confirms the discourse of theory on one hand, and the reality of practice on the other, which is very different. For his part, Slee (2013) raises the dilemma of how to make inclusive education happen when exclusion is a political predisposition. Nevertheless, it is true that in recent years there have been glimpses of progress and initiatives undertaken with the aim of transforming schools and classrooms into more inclusive learning environments. 

We are aware, as is Escudero (2012), that many aspects are beyond the reach of institutions, but many others are school decisions. Similarly, Murillo and Hernández (2011) reflect that, while an institution can be the main body for the reproduction and legitimation of social inequalities, it can also be the main driver for social change. Consequently, inclusion, understood as a lever for social change, is one of the main precursor forces of global educational reform, as well as a central objective of international policy and the greatest challenge facing schools today. In this regard, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations commits its member countries to ensuring inclusive and quality education, along with promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (unesco, 2015a). At this crossroads, where transforming reality is the true challenge of inclusion, the question arises as to how schools can effectively respond to diversity and move in a more inclusive direction (Azorín, 2016; Florian and Beaton, 2017; López-Vélez, 2018; Loreto, López and Assaél, 2015; Messiou and Ainscow, 2015; Miles and Ainscow, 2011; Simón, Echeita and Sandoval, 2018). 

The concept of inclusion has been widely addressed, among others, by Ainscow et al. (2006), who understand it as a process that seeks to identify and remove barriers; that incorporates the presence, participation, and achievement of all students without exception; and emphasizes those who are at risk of exclusion, marginalization, or underachievement. Both nationally and internationally, there is agreement that inclusive education is a right for all students, but there is also consensus on the obstacles that hinder education systems and communities from making this right effective. Inevitably, building education systems that guarantee quality education with equity is equivalent to saying that the former reaches all children, youth, and adults throughout life (Life Long Learning), without being conditioned by reasons of health, origin, place of residence, ethnicity, economic capacity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other circumstance. 

As we have been explaining, inclusive education is a relevant and widely debated issue in the school landscape both within and beyond our borders. However, it is important to clarify that inclusion will not arise naturally from the existing social order (Göransson and Nilhom, 2014; Marchesi and Martín, 2014), but as a result of conscious, reflective, and voluntary actions. 

In this regard, it is necessary to shed light on the management teams and teachers in educational centers regarding the shared meaning and significance they have about inclusion, and the actions they could take to move policies and practices in a more inclusive direction. Since our practical experience indicates that inclusion is understood and assumed differently by teachers, researchers, families, and students.

2. Guides to embark onthe journeytowards inclusion

Many authors in the field of educational research have used the metaphor of a journey to refer to the path that schools must take when initiating change processes and moving towards more inclusive spaces, which requires questioning both the values and policies of current societies (Messiou, 2012; Nguyen, 2015), and the capacity of schools to respond to diversity (Azorín and Ainscow, 2018; Echeita, 2006). In line with the above, different evidence from school theory and practice is beginning to provide lessons learned on the journey towards inclusion in Spanish schools (Azorín, 2018b; Simón, Sandoval, and Echeita, 2017). However, it is worth remembering that: 

It is not desirable to have a certificate suggesting that the school has reached a final destination in terms of inclusion. Schools are always changing; students and staff come and go; new forms of exclusion emerge; new resources are mobilized. Inclusion is an endless process, “an unending story.” The only sense in which it would be desirable to proclaim a school as “inclusive” is when it is firmly committed to the sustainability of a school improvement process guided by inclusive values (Booth and Ainscow, 2015: 31). 

In relation to the analysis of guides, with the field of inclusion as the primary focus of inquiry, there are previous studies that have delved into aspects such as self-assessment and the improvement of attention to diversity in educational centers (Guirao and Arnaiz, 2014); evaluation and support for monitoring the process towards inclusion (Muntaner, 2016); as well as the review of instruments on attention to diversity for quality inclusive education (Azorín, Arnaiz, and Maquilón, 2017). In this regard, the global impact and influence of the “Index for Inclusion (Booth and Ainscow, 2011), a tool made up of indicators, guidelines, and reflection questions that aim to support teaching teams in putting into practice the principles and values that should underpin education for all. In relation to this instrument, the following has been stated: 

It is a useful instrument for guiding self-reflection, participation, and dialogue among the different members of the educational community. The ultimate purpose of this guide is to build educational spaces that promote participation and increase their capacity to respond to the diversity of students, guaranteeing equity and quality (Booth, Simón, Sandoval, Echeita, and Muñoz, 2015: 5). 

Similarly, as explored in the empirical part of this work, numerous resources inspired by the Index have appeared in the specialized literature as support documents for the promotion of a more inclusive school and society. In summary, the process towards inclusive education taking place in Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary Education centers requires instruments, support materials, and guides that allow for orienting the path, provide guidelines for self-reflection and analysis of reality, and consequently, favor the implementation of inclusive change and improvement proposals. 

This article addresses, per se, a topic of professional interest for the advancement of inclusion in schools. Unlike what has already been researched by other colleagues previously, a selection of guides (including within this concept materials, documents, resources, and tools) whose purpose is to support schools in taking action regarding inclusion. We consider that this compendium of resources can help educational centers know how to take the first steps and in which dimensions to focus their attention to get started, assuming as a conditionsine qua nonthat inclusion (and attention to diversity) is not just a challenge, but also an inalienable right and a pedagogical asset. 

3. Objectives

The general purpose of the research that has led to this work wasto review the guides offered by the literature to guide and accompany educational centers in the development of more inclusive practices. Therefore, a series of national and international guides will be presented that facilitate evaluation processes in centers, aimed at educational improvement. To this end, we will focus on describing those that revolve around the specific area of attention to diversity, omitting other instruments that deal with very specific aspects aimed at the inclusion of traditionally vulnerable groups. 

Specifically, it was proposed to undertake the study of the selected guides according to the following parameters: objectivefor which it is created,perspectiveof inclusion from which it starts,collectiveto which it is directed,stagein which it has greater functionality,strategiesthat it proposes for action,basic structureupon which it is based,dimensions and indicatorsthat it formulates andtools and instrumentsthat it presents for the implementation of an inclusive school philosophy in educational institutions. 

4. Method

A qualitative research study has been developedwhich describes the content of a series of guides designed to support schools on their path towards inclusion. Therefore, it can be stated that all of them aim to help educational institutions develop more inclusive practices. The method applied was documentary content analysis (Barbosa, Barbosa and Rodríguez, 2013; Fernández, 2002; López, 2002; Peña and Pirela, 2007; Rojas, 2011). This study selected the most current guides (last 10 years) that introduce significant perspectives in this field of knowledge and reflect the reality in which we live. Precisely, one of the aspects that sometimes generates contradiction in this regard is how ephemeral these types of tools can be over time, since policies, values, and knowledgetools of great renown for their impact and value in the school context, such as theIndex for Inclusion(an immaterial work that inspires all others), most of these resources require updates or profound changes to respond to the needs posed by the current socio-educational context.

Consequently, Table 1 chronologically lists the 13 guides/tools that were analyzed to understand the steps these documents recommend for undertaking inclusion-related processes. This was done by starting with guides that have been devised for the improvement of inclusive education in schools and that can, therefore, act as catalysts for inclusion.

Table 1. Guides selected for content analysis

Number	Guides	Authorship
1	Inclusion and Diversity in Education. Guidelines for Inclusion and Diversity in Schools	British Council (2010)
2	Creating an Inclusive school. Indicators of Success. A Reflection Tool for Administrators, Educators and Other School Staff	New Brunswick Association for Community Living (2011)
3	Inclusive Practice in Secondary Schools. Ideas for School Leaders	New Zealand Ministry of Education (2014)
4	Coaching to Support Inclusion: A Principal’s Guide	The Alberta Teachers’ Association (2015)
5	Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-friendly Environments	UNESCO (2015b)
6	How good is our school?	Education Scotland (2015)
7	Tool to Upgrade Teacher Education Practices for Inclusive Education	Council of Europe (2015)
8	Equality: Making it Happen. A guide for schools to make sure everyone is safe, included and learning	Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (2015)
9	The IB guide to inclusive education: a resource for whole school development	International Baccalaureate Organization (2015)
10	Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education	Department of children and youth affairs (2016)
11	Reaching Out All Learners. A Resource Pack for Supporting Inclusive Education	IBE and UNESCO (2016)
12	Guide to Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education	Available in Spanish and English (UNESCO, 2017)
13	Themis Inclusion Tool	Available in English (Azorín and Ainscow, 2018) and Spanish (Azorín, 2018a)

The documentary sources themselves were the guides, tools, and resources selected for the description of their content. In the pre-selection phase, the following criteria were taken into account: 1) recency: texts published in the last decade; 2) thematic: content linked to attention to diversity and inclusive education; 3) national and international panorama: vision of inclusion within and beyond our borders; 4) guides preferably oriented towards supporting inclusion in schools (not specifically designed for self-assessment of practices, but for accompanying educational centers on the path towards inclusion); 5) character not so much empirical as reflective, advocating for the idea of inclusion not just as a matter of numbers or statistics, but as an element close to the qualitative, relational, and contextual reality presented by educational centers, a perspective that we understand is inherently linked to the inclusive movement, and 6) texts intended to help centers situate themselves at their starting point for the development of strategies and action plans that promote more inclusive educational and social processes. 

The analysis of the different documents was carried out through a registration form that allowed for standardized information extraction and collection (Table 2). 

Objective	Section indicating the main purpose for which the guide is created.
Concretization of inclusive education by the guide / Perspective of inclusion in which it is positioned	The term inclusion is not univocal, since each research group, organization, agency, or individual undertaking the creation of a guide of this nature inherently adopts a specific perspective. For this reason, it is important to analyze the stance/vision regarding the meaning and significance of inclusive education from which the guide starts or towards which it posits itself.
Target audience	Teaching staff, students, families, management teams, community stakeholders, researchers, education officials, inclusive education policy makers, or others.
Stage in which it has most functionality	Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education.
Strategies it proposes for the implementation of inclusion processes	These guides mostly arise to stimulate, guide, and support action or intervention plans. In this sense, it is important to point out how schools are encouraged or guided to start developing more inclusive practices. Therefore, through the analysis carried out, we will seek to gather information on how to implement improvement processes and what steps, strategies, or recommendations are proposed for the implementation of inclusion processes.
Main dimensions/indicators	Dimensions and indicators that the different guides reviewed focus on.
Basic structure of the guide	Parts that make up the document for a better understanding of its content.
Instruments for reviewing practices	This section contains information about the instruments/materials/resources for reviewing practices that the guides provide or make available to the reader. These instruments aim to help/guide educational centers in taking action. A distinction is made between rubrics, questionnaires, scales, interviews, discussion groups, and reflection activities, among others.

Once the research objectives were formulated and the review criteria defined, a bibliographic search was carried out, considering the steps proposed by Guirao-Goris, Olmedo, and Ferrer (2008): 1) consultation of databases and documentary sources, 2) establishment of the search strategy, 3) specification of document selection criteria, and 4) information organization. For the bibliographic search, the following databases were used: Web of Science, Dialnet, dice, Scopus, as well as the Google Scholar tool, which proved useful for locating texts in both English and Spanish. The descriptors or keywords used were: “inclusive education guides,” “tools for inclusion,” and their Spanish translations: “guías de educación inclusiva” and “herramientas para la inclusión.” Likewise, the selection of documentary sources published in the last decade was narrowed down, agreeing to maintain the period from 2010 to the present as a filter. In parallel, special attention was paid to guides published by organizations committed to inclusion, such as UNESCO.

5. Results

Despite the heterogeneity of countries where the documents we will present below have been published and promoted, the terminological approach of all the guides reviewed is very similar, especially since most of them were produced in English-speaking countries. In all of them, the constant emerges that inclusive education is a combination of philosophy and pedagogical practices that allow every student to feel respected and safe so that they can learn and develop their full potential, based on a system of values and beliefs shared by the school community.

Todos estos materiales constituyen oportunidades para “ponerse en acción”, aunque es posible que algunas escuelas no sientan que están preparadas o quieran llevar a cabo una revisión completa de sus prácticas, pero sí pueden utilizar estas herramientas para estimular la reflexión, la discusión y el aprendizaje sobre la inclusión. 

A continuación, se expondrán los aspectos más importantes de cada documento, haciendo explícitas las dimensiones, factores o indicadores que contemplan cada una de estas guías cuando se refieren a la educación inclusiva y en la forma de utilización de cada una de ellas. 

1. Inclusion and Diversity in Education. Guidelines for Inclusion and Diversity in Schools [Inclusión y diversidad en la educación. Pautas para la inclusión y la diversidad en las escuelas] (British Council, 2010) 

Esta guía se dirige a toda la comunidad escolar, especialmente a los equipos directivos y docentes tanto de escuelas de Primaria como de Secundaria. Propone un modelo de escuela culturalmente inclusiva, basado en investigaciones internacionales, que incorpora buenas prácticas desarrolladas en el marco del proyecto indie¹. Contiene tres dimensiones: marco legal that guarantees equal opportunities; national policies on attention to diversity, and school context, which in turn comprises the following factors: culturally inclusive leadership, high expectations for all, celebration of diversity, promotion of innovation and change, development of an inclusive curriculum, family engagement and empowerment of student voice. 

The school improvement process is based on self-evaluation and self-improvement and must involve all groups that have a stake or interest in the school. This is developed in three phases:audit, self-evaluation procedures to identify strengths and areas for improvement, which involves agreeing on objectives (establishing measurable criteria), as well as planning actions;process monitoring, schools will have regular meetings to assess the development of action plans, share learning, and review any aspects that are not on the right track or are using inappropriate resources; andprogress evaluation, through the evidence found from observations, interviews, and the use of questionnaires. 

2. Creating an Inclusive school. Indicators of Success. A Reflection Tool for Administrators, Educators and Other School Staff [Creando una escuela inclusiva. Indicadores de éxito. Una herramienta de reflexión para administradores, educadores y otro personal escolar] (New Brunkwick Association for Community Living, 2011) 

La guía persigue motivar a las comunidades escolares de Educación Infantil, Primaria y Secundaria para promover prácticas inclusivas. Se trata de una herramienta de reflexión y acción que permite a los educadores y administradores conocer las claves de éxito en la creación y mantenimiento de centros inclusivos. Entre los indicadores “de éxito” que propone destacan los siguientes: respeto de las diversas experiencias, perspectivas y conocimientos de los estudiantes, así como del sentido de pertenencia; experiencias de aprendizaje inclusivas (programa de educación flexible, fortalezas y capacidades, entornos de aprendizaje comunes y participación plena, estudiantes fuera del entorno de aprendizaje común, plan de estudios, instrucción, evaluación en curso); available supports for students to participate fully; behavior(with an impact on school bullying issues);management and leadershipproactive school (effective use of environmental resources);innovation and creative environmentin the educational process; andcollaborative approachfor the search for solutions and projection towards a committed school community. 

The steps it formulates are the following:clarifies the objective; articulates the principles and values; determines who will participate and identifies facilitators; designs the process; develops a work plan; implements the proposal,andevaluates the results. Among the instruments it provides are questionnaires for teachers, families, and educational administrators that encourage reflection and analysis of the school’s profile. 

3. Inclusive Practice in Secondary Schools. Ideas for School Leaders [Práctica inclusiva en escuelas de Secundaria. Ideas para líderes escolares] (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2014) 

The aim of this guide is to offer a common framework of ideas for discussion in secondary schools with education inspectors, principals, and counselors. The guide is organized into four dimensions that in turn constitute evaluation rubrics: building an inclusive school culture, this involves a debate about individual and collective beliefs about inclusion; developing processes and systems, data and aspects linked to the development process of each student and transition periods must be collected. This is usually done through a web platform, a task that can be carried out by the department or group of educational agents; supporting diverse learners, since it is necessary to ensure presence, participation, and learning (in this sense, more importance should be given to how one learns than to what one learns, i.e., to processes rather than results); improve collaboration and camaraderie, to sustain this entire system and improve it, collaboration with families, as well as with other organizations and members of the community, is very important. The voice of families and their role in decision-making are fundamental. 

The research cycle it proposes for school improvement through the metaphor of a “journey” includes three steps: gather the human team that will be part of the discussions; collect information, and to make a plan to change and transform inclusive practices in the school.

4. Coaching to Support Inclusion: A Principal’s Guide [Coaching para apoyar la inclusión: una guía para el director] (The Alberta Teachers’ Association, 2015)

This guide aims to explore the use of coaching as a professional development strategy to support the implementation of inclusive practices in both Primary and Secondary schools. Principals become trainers who work with teachers to meet the needs of all students within an inclusive school environment. This resource is created to guide and support inclusion by leadership teams who must work collaboratively with school staff to make this happen. In this regard, establishing a collaborative culture with defined roles is extremely important. The guide presents a set of strategies to improve collaboration: create a culture of expectations; increase information sharing, and foster the transfer of ideas and concerns. 

In turn, this guide details the dimensions associated with the exercise of inclusive leadership in which it is proposed to:foster effective relationships, represent visionary leadership, lead a learning community, provide instructional leadership, develop and facilitate leadership, manage school resourcesandunderstand and respond to the broader social context.Finally, it establishes three clearly differentiated phases:mobilization, which consists of preparation activities, awareness-raising, commitment building, and program planning;plan implementation, andinstitutionalization, at this stage, coaching becomes part of the school’s culture.

5. Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-friendly Environments [Abrazando la diversidad: Conjunto de herramientas para crear entornos inclusivos y amigables para el aprendizaje] (UNESCOX, 2015b)

This guide was born after the World Education Conference in Dakar, which aimed to ensure access to quality education for vulnerable groups of students by 2015. It was written in 2000 and has been revised several times until its version was available in 2015.online. It aims to raise awareness among future and current teachers and educational administrators of any formal or non-formal educational stage about the importance of inclusive education and provides them with practical tools to analyze their situation. 

It should be noted that one of the most relevant concepts coined in this guide is the term “inclusive, learning-friendly environment”. This concept emphasizes the importance of students and teachers learning together as a learning community, placing students at the center of their learning. The sections covered by this guide are the following: building an inclusive and friendly learning environment (including the benefits for teachers, students, families, and communities) and identifying areas that may need further improvement, providing ideas on how to plan changes and how to evaluate progress; working with families and communities describe how to help families and other community members and organizations participate in the development and maintenance of an inclusive learning environment;that all children go to school and learnpromotes reflection on the barriers that prevent this from happening, as well as examples of students who cannot learn or participate;create an inclusive learning environment, emphasizing students’ self-esteem and the necessary union of learning at home and at school;management of inclusive learning classrooms, where aspects related to the planning of teaching and learning, the use of available resources, the management of group work, cooperative learning, and forms of evaluation consistent with this way of learning are addressed; andcreation of a healthy and protective environment, in terms of child protection policies, violence prevention, school nutrition programs, and health services and facilities. 

6. How good is our school?

The guide is aimed at the entire educational community of Secondary Education centers. It proposes a change in which all stakeholders involved in the center can intervene, as well as groups of people related to the field of education, such as university staff or experts. 

The school improvement framework consists of a set of 15 quality indicators designed to help answer three questions related to important aspects of the school’s work and life. The quality indicators are divided into three categories: leadership and management, which answers the question: how good is our leadership and improvement approach?; learning environment, how good is the quality of the care and education we offer?, and éxitos y logros, ¿cuán buenos somos para garantizar los mejores resultados posibles para todos nuestros estudiantes? 

Este material expone un modelo de autoevaluación que permite revisar las políticas y las prácticas. Asimismo, profundiza en procesos básicos para la gestión del cambio desde una triple panorámica mirando: hacia adentro (autoevaluación); hacia fuera, aprendiendo de lo que sucede en otros lugares; y hacia delante, exploring what the future may hold for today’s students. This model emphasizes the need to triangulate information through direct observation, quantitative data collection, and the incorporation of all voices within the educational community. 

7. Tool to Upgrade Teacher Education Practices for Inclusive Education [Herramienta para mejorar las prácticas de formación docente para la educación inclusiva] (Council of Europe, 2015) 

This is a resource aimed at undergraduate students, practicing teachers, and teacher trainers who intend to improve school practices, especially in secondary schools. This tool consists of two parts. The first part describes the updating procedure as a sequence of activities. It guides teachers through a six-stage problem-solving cycle:problem identification; needs assessment, goals, and objectives; educational strategies; implementation; evaluation,and comments. The second part describes the framework for inclusive practices based on the European Agency’s postulates on the profile of inclusive teachers. This framework identifies four relevant practices for developing skills associated with inclusive education aimed at being a competent professional in inclusive education; valuing student diversity; supporting all students, and using collaborative work strategies. 

Teachers can use this tool to better understand their position in their own professional development and the skills they may need to progress towards inclusive practice through a problem-solving cycle. In this regard, they point out that the cycle is not linear or sequential, but rather encompasses dynamic and interactive processes. Furthermore, the guide in question offers rubrics with different skill levels on teaching competencies for both student teachers, practicing teachers, and school principals/inspectors. 

8. Equality: Making it Happen. A guide for help schools to make sure everyone is safe, included and learning [Igualdad: hacer que suceda. Una guía para ayudar a las escuelas a asegurarse de que todos estén seguros, incluidos y aprendiendo] (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2015)

This is a practical, easy-to-use guide tohelp Primary and Secondary schools promote equality and ensure that all students feel safe, visible, and ultimately, learn to live together equally. 

The indicators on which the guide focuses are the following:disability(including learning difficulties), gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, culture/ethnicity, religion or beliefs, pregnancy and motherhood and socioeconomic background. Alongside these aspects, it also delves into learning environment, leadership, behaviour, wellbeing, achievement, learning about equality, diversity and human rights, British equality legislation, LGBTQ+ in education, disability equality in education, ethnic equality in educationandincreased achievement for all students. The materials include questionnaires for students, families, and teachers to monitor equality in the school.

Through practical examples of experiences in UK schools, the guide briefly covers topics related to inclusion. It presents specific case studies and explains how certain problems have been resolved or how barriers have been removed through dialogue processes and the use of, among other tools, the Index for Inclusion. The guide proposes reflective processes and support and consultation materials based on testimonies from practice. It contains a series of sections that address different content on equality in a simple way and includes examples of good practices and additional sources of information.

9. The IB guide to inclusive education: a resource for whole school development [La guía de educación inclusiva del ib: un recurso para el desarrollo de toda la escuela] (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2015)

by the Primary and Secondary Education association of international schoolsInternational Baccalaureate Organization(known as IB). The guide is aimed at principals, consultants, and support staff. First, it recognizes the important contextual nature of inclusion and admits that schools may be at different stages of development. Its main objective isto help schools structure and develop inclusive education practices.

The guide focuses its attention on community participation, inclusive policy, and the development of school policy for inclusion. The latter differs from the former in the use of a cycle of research, action, and reflection that sustains the development and review of the inclusion policy within the school itself. According to this resource, the creation of effective and inclusive schools depends on the creation of common understandings throughout the school community. Schools must consider how to include all members of the community through the following actions:creating optimal learning environments; the use of technology; the development of collaborative processes; inclusive approaches to learning; assessment, andvariability in teaching(differentiation and universal design for learning).

The proposal for carrying out improvement processes consists of a series of statements that reflect the ideals of inclusion with self-assessment questions. They are open-ended questions with no right or wrong answers. There are also no time recommendations, and schools should understand that the development of inclusive education is a long-term process. Likewise, it is emphasized that if a school decides to use the inclusive self-review process, it must be integrated into the school’s overall development initiatives and strategies. The review cycle must be supported by the IB’s research cycle, where research, action, and reflection involve the entire school community from a constructivist approach leading to open and democratic processes.

10. Diversity, equality and inclusion charter and guidelines for early childhood care and education [Carta de diversidad, igualdad e inclusión y pautas para el cuidado y la educación de la primera infancia] (Department of Children and Youth Affairs, 2016)

This guide is aimed at Early Childhood Education professionals and is revealing for its stance, which argues that inclusion and quality go hand in hand. It is pointed out that it is fundamental to support children in building positive identities, developing a sense of belonging, and realizing their potential. Furthermore, it is the only guide among all those presented here that discusses the concept of “funds of knowledge” and “multiple identities,” which seeks to respect the unique identity of children at birth and their role in the construction and reconstruction of personal meaning within their cultural contexts.

It reflects on different diversities such as cultural diversity, second language acquisition, gender, religious beliefs, and the communities of migrant families. On each of these topics, the visions that schools should have to respect diversity are presented, and a series of questions are provided to help educators reflect on these issues. It consists of two parts: the first mentions the Irish National Statute of (early childhood) inclusion, which aims to promote the values of diversity, equality, and inclusion. The second part contains guidelines for early childhood care and education, referring to knowledge and identity funds, an educational approach against bias, modification of the physical environment, support for families, and analysis of policy implementation and school leadership.

The proposed way to develop improvement in schools is divided into seven steps:decide who will develop; evaluate the current policy; generate a draft policyconsulting all stakeholders;share the draftwith staff, volunteers, and families; ratify the policy; implement the policy, and review the policy. 

11. Reaching Out All Learners. A Resource Pack for Supporting Inclusive Education [Alcanzando a todos los estudiantes. Un paquete de recursos para apoyar la educación inclusiva] (IBE and UNESCO, 2016)

This is a guide for trainers, educational administrators, teachers, and school management teams, for both Primary and Secondary education. To date, all the guides promoted by UNESCO that have been analyzed share similar theoretical assumptions. In this case, inclusion is considered a process related to the identification and elimination of barriers. Inclusion has three dimensions: presencia, participación y logro de todos los estudiantes. La inclusión implica un particular énfasis en aquellos grupos de aprendices que pueden estar en riesgo de marginación, exclusión y bajo logro. La forma en la que invita a reflexionar es a través de textos de distinta naturaleza: resúmenes, proyectos de investigación educativos, estudios de casos de escuelas, preguntas de discusión y actividades. 

La herramienta se organiza en tres secciones/subguías interconectadas, como se denomina en la publicación: una orientada a la política; otra a los centros educativos, y otra a las aulas. In each of them, school experiences from around the world, discussion topics, and activities are offered. 

In summary, it offers a framework of four dimensions (concepts, policy, structure, and practice) with indicators based on international educational research. 

Finally, it includes a scale composed of the aforementioned dimensions that allows schools to be evaluated generically. 

12. Guide for Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education (UNESCO, 2017) 

This guide is useful for teachers and management teams in Primary and Secondary education. Its content warns that inclusion is not only achieved by facilitating access to education, but also by providing quality learning spaces and pedagogies that allow students to thrive, understand their individual realities and differences as an opportunity to democratize and enrich learning. 

Furthermore, it presents concrete examples and offers a review framework with indicators to assess the progress level of each of them in four dimensions:concept; stated policies; structures and systems, and practices. Each dimension, in turn, has four defining characteristics that can serve as a self-assessment tool for systems, obtained from the previous publication by IBE and UNESCO (2016). 

This tool emphasizes the need for teachers to constantly renew and continue learning in order to develop inclusive education, and to this end, it establishes four core values that develop this teaching competence: valuing student diversity, seeing students’ differences as a resource and an asset for education; supporting all students, having high expectations for all students’ achievement; working with others, considering collaboration and teamwork as essential approaches, and continuous personal professional development, understanding teaching as a learning activity in which teaching staff must accept responsibility for their own ongoing training and updating. 

13. Themis Inclusion Tool [Herramienta de Inclusión Themis] (Azorín and Ainscow, 2018) 

This guide is aimed at management and teaching staff working in Primary and Secondary Education centres. Its structure is formed by three dimensions: contexts, resources and processes (inspired by Stufflebeam’s CIPP Model). The use of this tool promotes reflection on the contexts in which educational centers are immersed; the resources they have to attend to the diversity of students; and the processes (inclusive or not) that are carried out in this regard in schools.

The indicators it delves into are the following: socioeconomic situation; cultural diversity; educational policy; leadership; values; prevention of discrimination; teacher-student relationship; teacher collaboration; links between family and school; community participation; collaboration networks; formative, human, material, technological, physical, and community resources, celebration of diversity; teaching planning; educational process; varietymethodological; heterogeneity and flexibility of class groups; organization of spaces and times; supports; evaluation, and transition between educational stages. 

In this case, the steps it suggests for reviewing school practice are clearly influenced by the phases developed in the Index for Inclusion itself: initiate a reflection process in discussion groups that allows for thinking about the meaning and significance of inclusion shared by stakeholders and resolving possible contradictions; complete the questionnaire individually to compare this information with the data collected in the previous group phase; analyze the results and identify strengths and weaknesses, and select the lines of change indicating those priorities on which it is intended to advance for the implementation of improvement projects aimed at developing more inclusive practices. An example of its applicability in educational centers can be found in Azorín (2018a). 

6. Final Considerations 

As a closing remark, it should be noted that most of the guides reviewed emphasize the importance of learning from members of the educational community in a process of mutual learning and of a reflective nature in each educational context. In this direction, the work of Azorín and Ainscow (2018) advocates for the development of review instruments taking into account the particular contexts and the ideas of all people involved in the journey to inclusion. Therefore, schools and their educational communities are the protagonists of the changes that are not only planned in concrete classroom practices but also in their culture (values) and policies. However, we must be aware of the weight of representation that each agent has in these documents (in many of them, families and students are not mentioned). Likewise, we cannot be oblivious to conflicts and tensions of various kinds (personal, social, or professional) that may arise as a consequence of proposing changes in educational centers. Sometimes this involves, among other things, caring for professionals, ensuring they feel valued and participate in decisions that affect them. 

The analysis developed in this work provides evidence on the current state of the investigated topic, as well as information that may be useful in training and work processes in school contexts. After the review carried out, it can be affirmed that the different guides studied favor processes of support, advice, and accompaniment in action itself, which we have assumed as the path or journey towards inclusion. Undoubtedly, these types of resources help guide the direction of educational centers that seek to incorporate changes inside and outside the classrooms to move towards the development of more inclusive practices. Although it is easy to understand that when a school (especially its teaching staff, its families, and its students) does not share—each at their own level—certain inclusive values, we are facing a reality in which educational practices that welcome, respect, and value diversity will hardly be able to flourish. During the review of these guides, some points have been raised by those most vulnerable; the recognition of diversity and the responsibility to act to make rights effective (by removing existing barriers); as well as collaboration and cooperation to face challenges, which entails mutual trust and respect. We highlight the importance of recognition as a central value for the development of more inclusive education, bringing to mind Honnet’s (2010) thought to assume that the recognition of the other has been configured as a central dimension (and paradigm) of social justice. 

Undoubtedly, all these documents have been designed to open up reflection processes in schools, starting with a self-assessment or identification of needs through discussion techniques, visualization of ideal practices, questionnaires, and/or rubrics. Next, a second part is addressed, which seeks to resolve some factors susceptible to improvement. This is done in different ways, through real cases, examples of situations, testimonials, and research evidence. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the improvement proposals are intended for all students and not just for traditionally vulnerable groups. 

As in the review by Guirao and Arnaiz (2014), almost all the guides discussed originate from the Anglo-Saxon world, with the differences this entails, indicating the need to strengthen this line of research in our country, creating practical support for school communities to walk the inclusive path together. In parallel, emphasis must be placed on the need to use and disseminate the content of these types of resources in Spanish-speaking contexts, generating spaces for reflection and debate that contribute to the advancement of this non-negotiable pedagogical asset.

From reading these instruments, it can be concluded that the term inclusion has moved beyond the condition of access to education traditionally outlined in our legal frameworks, and seeks to provide quality learning spaces and pedagogies that allow students to thrive, understanding their individual realities and differences as an opportunity to democratize and enrich learning. In this regard, the UNESCO guide (2017) invites us to see differences not as problems to be solved, but as opportunities to democratize and enrich learning, a stance with which we fully agree.

In short, it could well be said that an education system can never be of quality if it maintains exclusionary mechanisms within itself. And given that, in fact, the levels of segregation, marginalization, and school failure (three core and interdependent dimensions of exclusion) remain high in education systems, it is not surprising that the goal of inclusive education has become, internationally as well, the way to refer to the path that all countries must undertake.

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