ABSTRACT:
This study aims to investigate the current organizational structure and special education services in public schools and specialized institutions certified as schools operating in Sorocaba, SP, as well as to present the analysis of the context of special education policies in the municipal education system, from 1988 to 2016, seeking to understand the production and negotiations pervaded by their purpose of guaranteeing the right to education. The research is based on the approach of the political cycle, formulated by Stephen Ball, which emphasizes the complex and controversial nature of educational policy, proposing the existence of a political cycle. The results show that private, however, publicly- funded, special schools, hold the highest enrollments of students with disabilities and overall development disorders. In the municipal education system, special education policy sought to adjust to national and international policy settings, demonstrating how influential the context (BALL, 2001; BALL; MAINARDES, 2011) was. In each period, the actions developed by the municipal office of education were modified with the foundation of its governmental projects; however, as they were not able to consolidate as a municipal public policy, they evidenced processes of ruptures.
Keywords:
Special education; Public policies; The right to education