INTERMUNICIPAL COOPERATION EDUCATIONAL POLICIES – POTENTIAL OF THE INCLUSION IN NETWORKS PROGRAM
Inclusion in Networks; Special Education; Educational Policies; Educational Management; Intermunicipal Cooperation.
This study investigates the impacts of the Inclusão em Redes Program on the development of public policies for special education in municipalities in the Costa Verde region of Rio de Janeiro, in technical and academic cooperation with the Laboratory for Studies and Research in Education, Diversity, and Inclusion (LEPEDI). The study, which intertwines Critical Theory of Society with principles of action research, seeks to highlight research possibilities as a bridge to the development of special education. The methodological approach will be based on documentary and bibliographic analysis. The central question of this study is: "What are the contributions of the Inclusão em Redes Program to the promotion of educational policies and the strengthening of Inclusion in Education in municipal school systems?" To answer this question, objectives and study questions were listed to analyze the institutional performance of the intermunicipal cooperation network created by the Program and the feasibility of expanding the model to other municipalities. The research characterizes the special education model of the participating networks, delimiting the study into periods before and after the implementation of the Program (2018 to 2024). It seeks to analyze the performance of the technical teams responsible for special education in the contexts of municipal education systems and to reveal the role of the university as a dialogue intermediary between the participating education networks. The research results are expected to provide support for the promotion and strengthening of public policies for special education and the expansion of models, inspired by the initiative of the Inclusion in Networks Program, of collaboration between universities and municipal education networks.