Special Education Substantially Improves Learning: Evidence from Three States

Stephanie Coffey (), Joshua Goodman (), Amy Schwartz (), Leanna Stiefel (), Marcus Winters () and Yunee Yoon ()
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Stephanie Coffey: Saint Anselm College
Joshua Goodman: Boston University
Amy Schwartz: University of Delaware
Leanna Stiefel: New York University
Marcus Winters: Boston University
Yunee Yoon: Boston University

No 18531, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

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.

Keywords: special education; human capital; treatment effects; education policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I21 I28 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-lma and nep-mid
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