Avaliação da inclusão escolar do Plano Fortaleza 2040: um estudo em um Centro de Educação Infantil da Rede Municipal de Fortaleza

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on evaluating the implementation of the goals established in the Fortaleza 2040 Plan regarding the school inclusion of children with disabilities and special educational needs in Early Childhood Education within the municipal network. The study investigates a Child Education Center (CEI) located in Education District IV and seeks to understand the extent to which the actions proposed in the plan, particularly those related to teacher training, Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE), intersectoral coordination, and accessibility, have been materialized in everyday school practices. The guiding research question is: To what extent are the inclusion-oriented goals of the Fortaleza 2040 Plan being effectively implemented in a municipal CEI, according to teachers’ perceptions? The study is grounded in a theoretical framework that articulates the historical trajectory of inclusion, educational paradigms, and critical analysis of public policies, drawing on contributions from Mantoan, Sassaki, Garcez & Ikeda, Vygotsky, Boneti, and Freire & Pires, as well as legal frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the Brazilian Law on Inclusion (2015), and local guidelines such as the DCRFor (2024). The research adopts a critical evaluative perspective on public policy, assuming that the Fortaleza 2040 Plan, as a strategic planning instrument for the short, medium, and long term, can only be meaningfully assessed when confronted with the lived reality of those who experience, or fail to experience, its effects. Thus, the evaluation proposed is analytical, situated, and dialogical, articulating policy, discourse, and practice. The methodological design is qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive. Data were produced through semi-structured interviews with regular classroom teachers and the AEE teacher, as well as through the analysis of official monitoring documents of the plan. Data treatment and interpretation followed Bardin’s Content Analysis, organizing findings according to the specific objectives of the research and the goals ED.2.5, ED.2.6, ED.2.7, ED.2.8, and ED.2.9 of the Fortaleza 2040 Plan. By triangulating participants’ accounts, policy documents, and theoretical references, the study identifies convergences, tensions, and gaps between what is planned and what is perceived in practice, revealing advances, omissions, institutional contradictions, and structural challenges that still hinder full school inclusion. The study aims to offer academic and political contributions to strengthen public inclusion policies, reinforcing the defense of education as a collective right.