In October 2022, the IQB Education Trends 2021 report was published. The analyses reveal a declining trend since 2011, which also met with enormous response in the media and among teachers' associations. In one of the media reports, reference is made to a statement by the chairwoman of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, Karin Prien, which establishes a connection between ongoing inclusive education and the general decline in school performance. There are two statements about inclusive education in this statement. First, it explicitly claims an ongoing expansion of inclusive education, and second, it implicitly implies that joint learning of children with and without special education needs (SEN) has a negative impact on achievement levels overall. In this paper, we will analyze and classify both aspects of this statement from a scientific perspective due to their social and educational policy impact. First, we analyze school statistics to determine whether there is evidence of progress in school inclusion in recent years. Then, we summarize what is known from empirical educational research on the effects of school inclusion on the learning success of children and adolescents without SEN. Finally, we will critically assess the statement of Minister Prien (CDU) from a special education and educational science perspective, reflecting on how educational policy deals with or does not take into account the results of educational research, and discuss the professional, social and political implications.
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