Diversity and the right to education: The evolution of inclusion in Spanish law (1970–2020)

Abstract

This article analyses the evolution of attention to diversity and inclusion in the Spanish education system through a critical study of organic education laws from 1970 to the present. Using a qualitative‐descriptive and interpretative approach, it examines the conceptualisation and terminology used, the underlying theoretical models and the schooling measures proposed in each regulation. The results show the coexistence of different models—medical‐rehabilitative, social, biopsychosocial, human rights, among others—which have shaped an unstable legislative framework with significant tensions between integration and inclusion. Although since the 1990s, laws have explicitly incorporated the discourse of inclusion, terminological, structural and practical contradictions persist, hindering its consolidation in schools. It is concluded that the absence of a common model of inclusion, together with legislative instability and regional decentralisation, generates partial advances but also setbacks, highlighting the need for in‐depth and qualitative assessments to ensure truly inclusive education.