Whose IDEA Is This? An Examination of the Effectiveness of Inclusive Education
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| Title: | Whose IDEA Is This? An Examination of the Effectiveness of Inclusive Education |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Katharine Parham Malhotra (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 2025 47(4):1045-1070. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 26 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Contract Number: | 1749275 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education High Schools |
| Descriptors: | Equal Education, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Students with Disabilities, Inclusion, Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Policy, Academic Achievement, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Standardized Tests, Attendance, High School Students, Graduation Rate, Student Promotion, Outcomes of Education |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737241257951 |
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| Abstract: | The inclusion of students with disabilities in general education versus more restrictive settings has steadily increased since the 1990s. Yet little is known about inclusion's effectiveness for these students or their nondisabled peers. I examine the impacts of a district-wide inclusion policy, leveraging the staggered, school-level implementation to estimate the policy's causal effects on academic and behavioral outcomes. Elementary and middle school test scores and attendance rates were unaffected by the policy. High school graduation and ninth grade promotion rates increased by two and six percentage points, respectively, in the years following implementation. Findings suggest that inclusive education does not come at the expense of students' academic progress in the short term and may improve academic outcomes in the longer term. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1489859 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The inclusion of students with disabilities in general education versus more restrictive settings has steadily increased since the 1990s. Yet little is known about inclusion's effectiveness for these students or their nondisabled peers. I examine the impacts of a district-wide inclusion policy, leveraging the staggered, school-level implementation to estimate the policy's causal effects on academic and behavioral outcomes. Elementary and middle school test scores and attendance rates were unaffected by the policy. High school graduation and ninth grade promotion rates increased by two and six percentage points, respectively, in the years following implementation. Findings suggest that inclusive education does not come at the expense of students' academic progress in the short term and may improve academic outcomes in the longer term. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737241257951 |
