Dive Brief:
- While federal policy requires students with disabilities to be in general education classrooms whenever possible, Education Week reports on a handful of studies that have identified negative effects for students without disabilities in these cases.
- Michael Gottfried, an associate professor of education at the University of California at Santa Barbara, looked at the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten and found students who were taught in classrooms with peers who had behavioral or emotional disabilities had more absences, lower math and reading scores in kindergarten and first grade, and they were more likely to display social and behavioral problems themselves.
- Teachers with special education experience were able to offset some of the negative effects, including on attendance, and some critics of the research point out the students identified as having behavioral or emotional disabilities could have had especially severe cases.
Dive Insight:
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced a lawsuit against the State of Georgia for its special education services program, alleging it segregated students with disabilities into separate classrooms or schools and prohibited them from equal access to educational opportunities. Federal education law requires students to be considered for a general education class first. Only if their disability expressly prohibits their participation can they be moved into an alternative learning environment.
Research into the negative effects of inclusion on students without disabilities is important to help schools understand where additional supports are required. The research cannot be used to justify an end to inclusion, which is important for students with disabilities as well as their peers who need to develop a respect for differences and an understanding of all types of people. Knowing what the negative effects are and what might mitigate them can empower administrators to redirect support staff and their efforts.