The effect that inclusion and inclusionary school practices have on the achievement scores of low, average, and high academically achieving general education students was investigated. Achievement scores for 477 general education students from grades 1 through 5 were sampled over 3 years. During the 2 years that inclusion and inclusive practices were implemented, students either received academic instruction with students with disabilities or only with peers without disabilities. Inclusive school practices (curricular changes and supports) had a differential effect, as low achieving general education students appeared to benefit academically, while higher achieving students lost ground. General education students' reading scores were not significantly affected by the presence of students with disabilities, while in math, the effect was mixed.
Around 1990, psychologists and educators began to notice increasing use of methylphenidate by students. Diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder by family physicians and pediatricians was most commonly based on brief behavioral descriptions by parents and, infrequently, by use of rating scales. At that time, the present researchers began to explore the development of a school-based, methodologically sound, and inexpensive method of assessing the efficacy of stimulant medications, which would ensure reasonable compliance by teachers, parents, and students in monitoring the effects of medications and placebos. This article focuses on the methodological issues involved in choosing instruments to monitor behavior, once a comprehensive evaluation has suggested trials on Ritalin. Case examples illustrate problems of teacher compliance in filling out measures, supplying adequate placebos, and obtaining physician cooperation, and with the practical issue of providing adequate data without overwhelming the time and resources of participants. Emerging school-based methodologies are discussed with recommendations for future efforts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.