Research-to-Policy Gap: A Systemic Review of the Special Education Research

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Special Ed: The Law and The Numbers

Abstract

As the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is expected to be reauthorized within the next few years, it is critical to understand how research should inform the next iteration of special education policy. Given the recognized benefit to connect high-quality research with policy implementation, this paper includes findings from a study examining policy implications gleaned from the past decade of special education research. We systematically reviewed every article published from 2005-2015 in the three top special education journals: Exceptional Children, Journal of Special Education, and Remedial and Special Education (N = 887). Only 23.1% of the articles had explicit implications for IDEA—which documents a problematic research-to-policy gap that may exist across disciplines outside of special education.

Authors

• Meghan Burke, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Maria Lewis, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Janet R. Decker, Indiana University - Bloomington