Intensity of support and equity: the place of EELs in the Chilean education system

Introduction: The article examined the place of Special Language Schools (EEL) in the Chilean education system, framing it within General Education Law No. 20.370/2009 and specific regulations for TEL/TDL. It contextualized how decentralization and enrollment expansion favored the diversification of modalities, positioning EELs as a specialized response for early intervention and equitable access to the curriculum. Development: The study described three areas: (1) the organization of the education system and its levels and modalities; (2) the regulatory framework for special education and EELs—including Exempt Decrees No. 148/1980, No. 192/1997, No. 1300/2002, and its amendment No. 1085/2020, Law No. 20.422/2010, Decree No. 170/2010, and Decree No. 83/2015—; and (3) the functioning of EELs, addressing language theories, linguistic levels, and pedagogical and speech therapy strategies. It identified that EELs provided more intensive support than PIE, especially in terms of speech therapy hours, and that professionals such as special education teachers and speech therapists conducted initial assessments and periodic reevaluations, coordinating interventions with families and school teams under DUA principles. It also noted tensions associated with resource heterogeneity, continuity of support, and gaps between EELs and PIE. Conclusions: It concluded that the existence of EELs was normatively justified and pedagogically relevant for children with SLI/SLD, ensuring early and systematic intervention in the form, content, and use of language. It proposed challenges strengthening detection and continuous evaluation, converging standards between EEL and PIE, strengthening collaborative work, and consolidating longitudinal monitoring systems that would guide funding and technical support toward verifiable results of inclusion and curricular achievement.