Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

The effects of special education on young children are widely debated. Some research suggests that this early form of academic tracking is associated with a self-fulfilling prophecy that can inhibit both academic and social development. Other research highlights the benefits of targeted teacher instruction. In this study we explore the effects of early participation in special education from Kindergarten through second grade on academic achievement and social skills at third and fifth grade. Specifically, do children's experiences in early special education help or hinder their later academic performance and social functioning? Data in this study come from phases I, II and III of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), a longitudinal study of child development of more than 1,300 children and their families. The present study draws from approximately 1,000 children who received at least one teacher report of special education (i.e. placement in half or full day resource room or reading assistance). At third and fifth grade, children's academic skills were assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability and Achievement (WJR) and their social skills were assessed using the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS). Both outcomes were measured using standard scores (mean = 100; SD = 15). To address our research question, we regressed children's academic and social outcomes on a dummy variable indicating whether the child had experienced special education one or more times between Kindergarten and second grade, controlling for a set of early childhood selection factors. In addition to a typical multiple regression model with covariates, we also conducted a propensity score analysis. Both propensity score analysis using a six matched-block design, and multiple regression with a covariate specification offered almost identical findings. On average, children who had at least one year of special education placement had lower test scores on the WJR at third and fifth grades. For example, on average, there was a 6.8 point difference between children in special education and children without special education on tests scores of the cognitive achievement composite and a 9.5 point difference on the academic achievement composite at third grade. This pattern was also found for the SRSS, with a mean difference of approximately 5 points at third grade and 3 points at fifth grade. These findings are all statistically significant (p<.01) and control for socio-demographic characteristics and the child's average early cognitive test scores. Study findings suggest that children's placement, above and beyond socio-demographic and early child cognitive test scores, may be associated with poorer academic and social outcomes at third and fifth grades. Although special education may be a necessary means to provide targeted services to some children, not all children may benefit in the same ways from these services. School social workers can play a specific role in mediating the potential negative effects of special education through social skills trainings or other forms of educational intervention that highlight the student's social and academic strengths.