Whose IDEA Is This? The Effectiveness of Inclusive Education for Students With and Without Disabilities

• In Event: Transforming and Shifting Systems to Ameliorate Inequity

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of inclusive education for students with and without disabilities through the lens of one U.S. school district that transitioned to a policy of full inclusivity in the early 2000s. A quasi-experimental, event study approach is leveraged to examine the impacts of inclusive learning environments on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. Findings suggest the policy resulted in positive academic benefits for students with disabilities and null effects for students without disabilities in the short-term. Performance of students with disabilities on standardized assessments declined over the long-term, but attendance and graduation rates for both groups improved.

Author

• Katharine Parham Malhotra, Teachers College, Columbia University