Inclusive Education Landscape Assessment Insights: Tackling Educational Inequities in Latin America and the Caribbean 

Education Access and Learning Achievement: The study demonstrated that rural children and those from the lowest income quintile are more likely to be out of school and less likely to complete primary education. Children with disabilities in LAC are 49 percent more likely to never have attended school than their peers and 42 percent less likely to attain foundational reading and numeracy skills. Additionally, sixth graders from marginalized groups performed lower in reading in the Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (ERCE) than their counterparts from non-marginalized groups.

Education Management Information Systems (EMIS): Improving EMISs is critical to educational improvements in LAC because EMISs are intended to provide accurate, real-time data that supports informed decision-making, enhances educational planning and policy formulation, and improves the overall efficiency and quality of education systems. The study found that EMIS capacities vary by country.  EMISs face significant challenges due to a lack of basic infrastructure, including electricity, tablets, and internet connectivity, particularly in rural schools. Additionally, there is short staffing in education offices and schools, hindering the consistent tracking of student progress, data input, and effective management of EMIS. Their systems do not trace or monitor out-of-school children, with the exception of Honduras, nor does it track those who have dropped out, making it difficult to measure access accurately. Furthermore, the databases are not publicly available and often require direct requests to the ministry of education for access.  EMIS data reveals the educational disparities between vulnerable students and others, which helps inform changes and improvements for schools. Without access to this valuable data, educators and reformers may be left unaware of where opportunities for improvement lie.

Inclusive Education Policies and Practices: Legal frameworks mandating equitable access to and inclusion in quality education for all exist in the four countries at varying levels. In Colombia, there is an advanced legal framework for supporting individuals with early pregnancies, ethnic minorities, and migrants, though interinstitutional coordination varies from emergent to established. El Salvador also has an advanced legal framework, particularly for policies targeting girls, but lacks strong interinstitutional coordination. There remains significant work to be done in both legal frameworks and coordination efforts for people with disabilities and migrants. In Haiti and Honduras, legal frameworks and interinstitutional coordination for people living in poverty, people with disabilities, and migrants are either at a base level or nonexistent. The exception is Honduras, which does have an established legal framework for people living in poverty. 

School Environment as Determinants of Quality Education: In all countries, participants from group discussions agreed that barriers to accessing quality education include a lack of specialized training in inclusive teaching methods, limited capacity among teachers to adjust the curriculum in response to the needs of marginalized learners, and limited to no specialized support staff. Addressing these barriers is crucial because inclusive teaching methods help ensure that all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, receive the support they need to succeed. Without specialized training, teachers may struggle to meet the diverse needs of their students, leading to inequities in educational outcomes.

Family and Community Determinants: In each of the four countries studied, multiple barriers to accessing quality education exist, including multidimensional poverty, lack of income, and the threat of violence and domestic violence. Families play a critical role in transmitting values and habits that enable children and youth to access and stay in school. When families are engaged and involved in their children’s education, it can lead to better educational outcomes and greater community support for schools. Multidimensional poverty, which encompasses various deprivations beyond mere income insufficiency, can severely limit children’s access to essential resources like nutritious food, proper healthcare, and educational materials. Without these necessities, students are less likely to attend school regularly or perform well academically. Lack of income compounds these challenges, as economic strain often forces children to drop out of school to work and support their families, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Furthermore, the threat of violence and domestic violence creates an unsafe environment that can hinder a child’s ability to focus on their studies, cause psychological trauma, and even lead to prolonged absences from school.

Multilateral Support: The IELA report identifies different focus areas by multilateral stakeholders across their education development portfolios in each of the countries under study. Multilateral support in Colombia centers on migration and peacebuilding. In El Salvador, it focuses on institutional capacity, migrants, and childhood development. In Haiti, the support emphasizes formal education and disability services, while in Honduras, it concentrates on disability services and migrant support. Despite ongoing cooperation initiatives funded by bilateral and multilateral entities, challenges persist in implementing programs effectively and sustainably. Stakeholders highlighted the importance of local adaptations, alignment, and coordination across donors and implementing partners to address systemic needs and foster sustainable partnerships. Without the voices of minorities, indigenous people, rural inhabitants, and those with disabilities, needs may go unseen and unmet. By intentionally ensuring local ownership and alignment, stakeholders can ensure that vulnerable actors have a greater voice in the future of their education, therefore initiating more sustainable changes.