Where Should Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education Services?

The question of where special education students should be educated is not new. In this article, the author reviews research studies and research reviews that address this question. She argues that research evidence on the relative efficacy of one special education placement over another is scarce, methodologically flawed, and inconclusive. She also states that “Where should students with disabilities be educated?” is the wrong question to ask, that it is antithetical to the kind of individualized planning that should be embodied in decision making for and with students with disabilities, and that it fails to specify where, for what, and for whom. The author calls for new ways of thinking about the problem and of conducting research so that progress can be made on improving results for students with disabilities.