There are few studies of educational practices in schools, that is, of the procedures used by educators to promote learning in their students. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyze educational practices in schools so as to uncover to what extent these practices contribute to the inclusion of students with special educational needs. The present exploratory study used weekly observations in the classroom as well as in the general school environment as a means to collect data. So as to ensure a typical reading of the school setting, the observation times and dates varied. Interviews and documental analysis of student work (essays, tests, classroom worksheets) and school documents were also carried out. The participants in the study included a student with cerebral palsy, his mother, as well as the teachers who taught him during the years of 2000 and 2001. The data that was collected enabled us to define the category that became the focus for the present research: scholastic chievement and student performance and the student's perception of his own learning process. In conclusion, this study showed to a certain degree that the inclusion process for this student is having positive results as to social and physical presence. However, when looking at actual learning, educational inclusion did not occur, because the educational practices observed did not answer to the specific needs of this student.
special education; inclusion; educational practices; cerebral palsy
