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PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION TO A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION
Special education in Mexico, in keeping with international trends, is in the process of transformation. Educational reforms currently under way in Mexico have adopted and systematized the measures recommended by UNESCO (1994) to extend educational services to all students, accommodate the diversity represented in the special education population, and provide a high-quality education for all students. The 1994 World Conference on Special Educational Needs held in Salamanca, Spain, highlighted the importance of including all students in our schools, celebrating their differences and responding to the specific needs of each individual. The Declaration of Salamanca adopted at the Conference outlined the principles underlying inclusive education, discussed the political implications of the Declaration, and provided an action plan for the successful implementation of inclusive schools.
In addition to international declarations, forces within Mexico were calling for reforms designed to decentralize education and to provide quality instruction for all students. In Mexico, as elsewhere, this required legislative changes to meet the challenges of educating students from diverse backgrounds, including those with special educational needs. The goals of education recently adopted by the Mexican government focus on restructuring public education to enable it to respond to the basic learning needs of all students while attending to their cultural, economic, physical, and cognitive differences. This has led to a reconceptualization of the role of, and services provided by, special education and its relationship to general education. This, in turn, has led to systemic changes in the delivery of services for special needs students, the retraining of both general and special education professional, and new strategies and interventions to meet the demands of an integrated educational system.
Legislative Changes
Present-day Mexico is redefining its basic liberties. The senate of the Republic of Mexico, in consultation with the social and political protagonists of the country, has initiated reforms directed toward the creation of a new federalism. As part of these reforms, the powers of the federation, the states, and the counties were established, particularly with regard to the distribution of the public budget.
Based upon this changing situation, a new federal pact was established for the National Education System (SEN). In 1992, the National Agreement for the Modernization of Basic Education (secretaria de...