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Special Education Substantially Improves Learning: Evidence from Three States. Working Paper 34998

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Special Education Substantially Improves Learning: Evidence from Three States. Working Paper 34998
Language: English
Authors: Stephanie G. Coffey, Joshua Goodman, Amy Ellen Schwartz, Leanna Stiefel, Marcus A. Winters, Yunee H. Yoon, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Source: National Bureau of Economic Research. 2026.
Availability: National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Special Education, Program Effectiveness, Academic Achievement, Students with Disabilities, Services, Achievement Gains
Geographic Terms: Massachusetts, Indiana, Connecticut
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 0.2-0.4σ 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.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Access URL: https://www.nber.org/papers/w34998
Accession Number: ED679683
Database: ERIC
Description
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 0.2-0.4σ 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.