Special Education Substantially Improves Learning. Evidence from Three States.

Autor/inn/en	Coffey, Stephanie; Goodman, Joshua S.; Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Winters, Marcus A.; Yoon, Yunee H.
Institution	National Bureau of Economic Research
Titel	Special Education Substantially Improves Learning. Evidence from Three States.
Quelle	Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research (2026) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext (2) Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Reihe	NBER working paper series. w34998
Beigaben	Illustrationen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Monografie; Graue Literatur
DOI	10.3386/w34998
Schlagwörter	Bildungspolitik; Bildungsertrag; Public Health; Schüler; Schätzung; Arbeitspapier; Regulation; USA
Abstract	Special education serves more than one in seven U.S. students yet its causal impact remains understudied. Using longitudinal data from Massachusetts, Indiana, and Connecticut, we estimate the effect of individualized supports with an event-study design that tracks achievement around initial classification. Students' scores decline prior to placement and rise sharply afterward, yielding a consistent V-shaped pattern. Within three years, achievement is 0.2-0.4 sigma higher than counterfactual trends imply. Gains are similar across disability categories and subgroups, are not driven by testing accommodations, and remain under conservative assumptions. Individualized supports substantially increase learning productivity.
Erfasst von	ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Kiel
Update	2026/3