Are Schools as Inclusive for Students With Disabilities as State-Level Data Suggest?

Despite substantial progress under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), persistent disparities remain for students with disabilities, while federal monitoring and oversight have not sufficiently capitalized on state-level longitudinal data to monitor and improve outcomes. In this article, we argue that the U.S. Department of Education and researchers must engage in more rigorous analyses of state-level data to monitor IDEA implementation. We focus on State Performance Plans/Annual Performance Reports and IDEA Indicator 5 given the importance of providing students with disabilities with access to the general education classroom and because students of color, low-income students, and many students at these intersections have historically been denied equitable access to the general education classroom. We utilize longitudinal data from Texas to generate three illustrative findings that highlight how a state can meet its goal on a given indicator despite troubling patterns in its special education data systems. Specifically, we find variation across disability categories, race, socioeconomic status, geography, and school context that is obscured by aggregate federal reporting. Based on these findings, we conclude with recommendations for researchers and policymakers.