Special education schools under the LOMLOE paradigm: their transformation into support centers for ordinary schools and proposals for the education of students who require specialized supports.

In 2020, the LOMLOE stipulated that within ten years of its approval, Special Education (SPED) schools would be dedicated exclusively to the education of students requiring highly specialized attention, while also serving as reference and support centers for mainstream schools. Taking this into account, the purpose of this project is to provide scientific evidence that contributes to the progressive transformation of SPED schools in Spain, adapting to the new roles assigned by the fourth additional provision of this law.

Acronym

CEELOMLOE

Reference code

PID2023-150590OB-I00

Description

This research project aims to provide scientific evidence contributing to the progressive transformation of Special Education (SPED) schools in Spain, aligning with the new roles assigned by the additional fourth provision of the LOMLOE. Specifically, the mentioned law stipulated that, within ten years from its approval in 2020, SPED schools would be dedicated exclusively to the schooling of students requiring highly specialized attention, while also serving as reference and support centers for regular schools.

In this context, three years after the approval of the LOMLOE, the first overall objective of this project is to examine the current situation of SPED schools throughout the national territory. This involves analyzing their locations, the student profile, and the legislative development related to reinforcing their role as advisory centers in the 17 autonomous communities and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

In addition, the second overarching objective aims to assess the perception of the educational community regarding the fulfillment of the new functions of SPED schools in the Principality of Asturias, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and the Valencian Community, while the third overarching objective seeks to establish practical guidelines for the development of these functions. Including diverse autonomous communities in the analysis enables an understanding of territorial differences in the transformation process of SPED schools, facilitating the exchange of successful educational practices and strengthening collaboration for the continuous improvement of the educational system. Therefore, in this project, we will co-design a manual with professionals from schools in different autonomous communities to facilitate educational tasks for students requiring highly specialized attention. Additionally, we will create a manual that compiles best practices related to the advisory process of SPED schools to regular schools. Both materials will be openly published.

We plan to achieve these objectives by employing a wide range of methodologies, such as content analysis, SWOT analysis, interviews, discussion groups, and Likert-scale surveys, among others. The participants in the research will include families of students enrolled in SPED schools with diagnoses indicating severe levels of impairment, as well as professionals from SPED schools and regular schools, representing various communities.

It is expected that the results of this project will lay the groundwork for enhancing the educational support for students with more severe difficulties who will continue to be enrolled in SPED schools. Additionally, the project aims to contribute to strengthening collaboration between professionals in SPED schools and those in regular schools, thereby benefiting the social and educational inclusion of students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream schools.

Developers of the project

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Inma Fernández Research Group (INVTEA)

www.uv.es/invtea

invtea@uv.es

Keywords

autonomous communities; LOMLOE; special education schools.

Principal investigators: