Special Education Research

Education news, analysis, and opinion about research focused on special education and gifted education
Group of diverse students embracing teacher at school corridor.
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Special Education What the Research Says 3 Out of 4 Gifted Black Students Never Get Identified. Here's How to Find Them
Most attend schools where they never get a chance to be recognized, a new Purdue University study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 3, 2022
4 min read
A paraprofessional guides a student back to his gym class while participating in remote learning at his home in Wharton, N.J.
Paraprofessional Jessica Wein guides Josh Nazzaro back to his gym class while participating in remote learning at his home in Wharton, N.J., in 2020. New research adds to long-standing critiques of federal funding for special education.
Seth Wenig/AP
Special Education What the Research Says Federal Special Ed. Funding Is Woefully Inequitable, New Studies Show
Outdated funding formulas continue to widen gaps that shortchange students with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, researchers say.
Mark Lieberman, June 1, 2022
5 min read
Image of a child writing the letters "ADHD" on a chalkboard.
Getty
Special Education Attention Deficit Rates Skyrocket in High School. Mentoring Could Prevent an Academic Freefall
Twice as many students are diagnosed with ADHD in high school as in elementary school, yet their supports are fewer, a study says.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 23, 2021
4 min read
Special Education What Employers Can Teach Schools About Neurodiversity
The benefits of neurodiversity have gained traction in business, but college and career support for students with disabilities falls short.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 12, 2021
8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
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School & District Management Opinion Education Researchers Should Think More About Educators: Notes From AERA
Steve Rees, founder of School Wise Press, posits AERA reflects a community of researchers too focused on what they find interesting.
Rick Hess, May 6, 2021
4 min read
Special Education Webinar Examining the Evidence: Supporting Students With Disabilities
The nearly seven million students with disabilities in the United States are among those most at risk of regressing significantly amid COVID-related distance learning. Under federal law, schools are required to provide services to meet
November 20, 2020
Special Education Test Supports for Students With Disabilities Vary From Year to Year
For students with disabilities, test accommodations can make the difference in their ability to show what they know. But a new study suggests a getting such supports one year is no guarantee of help the next year.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 23, 2019
2 min read
School & District Management Research on Special Education, Career-Tech Ed., and Research Partnerships Sought by Education Department
The Institute of Education Sciences, the research agency for the U.S. Education Department, put out calls for a bevy of new research projects for fiscal 2019,
Sarah D. Sparks, June 1, 2018
2 min read
English-Language Learners Don't Underestimate, Shortchange ELLs With Disabilities, Researcher Argues
A researcher found that some educators though bilingualism was "too lofty a goal" for English-language learners with disabilities.
Corey Mitchell, March 30, 2018
2 min read
Special Education Immunizations and the Impacts of Virtual Reality: Two New Findings on Autism
New studies on autism offer insight into the parts of the brain associated with social challenges for students on the autism spectrum and how pervasive myths about the causes of autism could put children and their families at greater physical risk.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 29, 2018
4 min read
School & District Management National Institutes of Health Awards $100 Million for Autism Research
How early should young children be screened for autism? How do girls with autism spectrum disorders differ from boys? New research projects are digging deeper into how we identify and support children with autism spectrum disorders.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 2, 2017
3 min read
English-Language Learners Bridging Language Gaps for Deaf Children
New research and applications may help young children with both normal hearing and deafness improve their literacy.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 10, 2016
5 min read
School & District Management Students With Down Syndrome Grow a Community for Research
A federal registry aims to connect students with Down syndrome to each other and to researchers.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 16, 2015
1 min read
Special Education How Can Teachers Build on Gifted, Hyperactive Students' Strengths?
New studies provide insight into ways to help students with attention deficits succeed academically.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 7, 2014
4 min read