FROM NORM TO MATERIALITY: CHALLENGES OF THE NATIONAL POLICY FOR INCLUSIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION IN GUARANTEEING SPECIALIZED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (AEE)

Abstract

This theoretical-essay article critically examines Brazil’s National Policy on Inclusive Special Education (PNEEI), established by Decree No. 12.686/2025, situating it within the debate on guaranteeing Specialized Educational Services (AEE) in basic education. The aim is to analyze the new legal architecture and confront its guidelines on professional qualification and governance with the demands of equity and quality, focusing on the need for high-density teacher training and adequate funding. A narrative literature review and documentary analysis are adopted, articulating current legislation with critical literature on special education and inclusion. The analysis points to conceptual advances, such as the de-medicalization of target-student identification in favor of case studies and the creation of the National Network for Inclusive Special Education. The critical reflection, however, reveals structural knots that threaten the materialization of rights: the insufficiency of an 80-hour training course for the complexity of AEE and the lack of detail regarding inter-federative funding mechanisms. It is concluded that the effectiveness of the PNEEI depends on precise regulation of resource flows, especially the Specific Quality Student-Cost (CAQ-E), and on investment in teacher specialization, as decisive factors for adopting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and converting legal rights into equitable quality in pedagogical practice.