The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate suggests a preference for educating students with disabilities in general education settings provided their needs can be met there. This study examined national trends in the educational placements of students with disabilities ages 6 to 17 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1990…

This study examined when students with disabilities graduated high school and how graduation patterns differed for students based on selected demographic and educational factors. Utilizing statewide data on students with disabilities from Massachusetts from 2005 through 2012, the author conducted discrete-time survival analysis to estimate the…

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into short PDF sheets, by topic, with graphics. The topics for this report students with disabilities who are ELs include: (1) Percentage of students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21, served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

This research study was conducted to examine the effects of the academic achievement of elementary level general education students in the inclusion classroom setting versus the general education students in the non-inclusion classroom in a large suburban school district in Tennessee as measured by third, fourth, and fifth grade mathematics and…

Although inclusive education has been increasing in frequency for students with disabilities in the United States, for many students, the opportunity to be educated with their peers without disabilities continues to be out of reach despite decades of efforts by those promoting the vision of inclusion. This exploratory case study used interviews…

As more students with special educational needs attend mainstream schools, it is critical that the role and operation of special schools be examined. This article reports on two case studies, one special school in England and one in Ireland, which formed part of a national review of the role of special schools and special classes in Ireland. Two…

This research article reports on the experience of a special needs unit within an Aotearoa/New Zealand high school during a period of inclusive change. The study of the special needs unit represented a case study within a larger year-long qualitative study of the school experience. Utilizing the Index for Inclusion: Developing learning and…

Social inclusion has become an increasingly relevant issue in public school education during the past several years. Differences between social skills in students who were educated in inclusion elementary school classrooms and those who were not placed in inclusion classrooms were examined. Teachers were asked to rate the social skills of students…

What would schools and classrooms look like if they truly mirrored our democratic ideals? In this issue of the Occasional Papers, five authors explore current and historical questions related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in public schools. The history of educating children with disabilities--an ongoing civil rights issue--has…

This is a descriptive study that examines the form and function of preschool special education teams in New York City. The results are based upon the perceptions of teams as reported by parents and guardians of preschoolers with disabilities in NYC. These perceptions were collected through surveys and interviews. In addition, documents about…

This study examines the impact of the inclusive environment on student performance. As schools work to comply with the Least Restrictive Environment requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including students into the general education environment has become the norm as opposed to the exception. The improvement in…

The present American philosophy of education proclaims equality of opportunity for every child. This requires a study of the inherent capacities of children and the consideration of the opportunities for service in a highly complex industrialized society. The Office of Education is now engaged in studying the success of the types of curriculum and…