| Jason Fletcher
Yale University
Examining the effects of full inclusion on the classmates of children with special needs
This project will examine the policy effects of moving toward full inclusion of individuals into regular education environments on the test scores of classmates of children with special needs. The inclusion of all students in regular education settings -- the "least restrictive environment" -- has been phrased in terms of the basic rights of all children to receive a good education. However, little is known regarding the potential effects of full inclusion on the classmates of the students with special needs. Since full inclusion has grown in popularity and a large fraction of children in elementary schools have a classmate with special needs, beginning to evaluate the benefits and consequences of this policy should be a high priority for policy-makers, parents, educators, and the public. Since the potential effects of this policy likely depend on the disability of the included student, this project will focus on classmates of students with serious emotional problems, where the spillover effects on classmates would likely be greater than many other disabilities.
In order to examine this research question, I will use the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. The nationally representative and longitudinal nature of the data as well as the multiple sources of available information (e.g., students, parents, teachers, administrators, classmates) will allow a rich conceptual framework to be employed. Due to the complexities of the process that places particular students together in classrooms, I use several methodologies to examine the robustness of the results, including OLS regression analysis, hierarchical linear models, and matching estimation. The results of this project will further our understanding of the benefits and consequences of pursuing the policy of inclusion of all students with special needs in regular education classrooms and suggest whether this policy should be re-evaluated.
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