Are Effective Schools Reforms Effective for All Students? The Implications of Joint Outcome Production for School Reform

This research examined the relation of school-level changes in the reading performance of students in general and in special education to school environmental variables associated with effective schools reforms in 56 Southern California schools. Applying a joint production model of outcomes, we predicted that school-level general and special education performance change related inversely to one another and differentially to effective environ- mental characteristics. Results showed inverse relations between changes in general and special education students' performance in sample schools. Inconsistent and differential relations between environmental characteristics associated with effective schools and the performance changes of the two groups of students were also evidenced. The implications of these findings for the educational opportunities of students with mild disabilities in the context of contemporary general and special education reforms are discussed.