Examining the Research Base of the Regular Education Initiative

Abstract

Two bodies of research used to support the Regular Education Initiative are (a) the literature on the efficacy of special education and (b) studies examining the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM), a program for educating handicapped children in regular education classrooms that is often cited as an example of effective practice. The support provided by these lines of research, however, is minimal. The efficacy literature contains many limitations in terms of methodology, the age of the studies, and an emphasis on physical placements instead of practices within the placements; even if these limitations are overlooked, the results of the efficacy studies do not totally favor regular education over special education for mildly handicapped students. The ALEM studies provide insufficient information on program and subject characteristics and contain a variety of methodological limitations that call into question their conclusions. Though these limitations in the research supporting the Regular Education Initiative do not prove that special education is effective, we believe a variety of regular and special education service configurations for mildly handicapped students should still be available.