THE ROLE OF INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING IN PROMOTING EDUCATIONAL INCLUSION

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of initial teacher training in promoting educational inclusion, understanding inclusion as a pedagogical and institutional commitment aimed at the participation and learning of all students. The objective of the study was to discuss how undergraduate teacher training programs can prepare future teachers to work in diverse contexts, considering the didactic, evaluative, and collaborative demands that inclusion requires in mainstream schools. The methodology adopted was bibliographic research, with the collection and analysis of academic productions and normative documents on teacher training and inclusive education, organized by thematic axes. The results indicate that there is still a gap between the recognition of inclusion as a right and its effective implementation in practice, especially when the topic appears in a fragmented way in undergraduate studies and poorly articulated with the disciplines of didactics, curriculum, and evaluation. It was observed that more consistent formative experiences, with well-monitored supervised internships, case studies, and reflection on practices, tend to increase professional confidence and the ability to plan accessible strategies and evaluate more fairly. It is concluded that initial teacher training is crucial for transforming inclusion into daily practice, but it needs to be assumed as the central axis of the training project and articulated with real school experiences, in order to strengthen teaching performance and sustain inclusive processes with quality.