Research & Statistics

Index of studies and reports published by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, including a category devoted to disability.

Provides a wide array of support to parents and individuals, school districts and states in three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation and research in order to improve results and outcomes for people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) of all ages.

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released eight reports that review the research on Orton-Gillingham-based programs for students with learning disabilities. Orton-Gillingham teaching sessions are action oriented with auditory, visual, and kinesthetic elements reinforcing one another. The Clearinghouse's review of the research on Project Read Phonology, a multisensory language arts curriculum designed for use in a classroom or group setting, found this intervention to have no discernible effects on general reading achievement for students with learning disabilities. WWC also reviewed studies on seven other programs.

These surveys provide information about the enrollment of and educational services to students in public schools in every state by race/ethnicity, sex and disability.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on the participation of students with disabilities in school athletics and physical education. The report found that students with disabilities participated in athletics at consistently lower rates than students without disabilities. Some schools or districts provide opportunities by partnering with community programs or offering athletics designed specifically for students with disabilities, such as wheelchair basketball. School officials also indicated a lack of information on ways to expand athletic opportunities, lack of clarity regarding schools' responsibilities and budget constraints as key challenges. The report makes recommendations on actions that the U.S. Department of Education should take to improve access to PE and extracurricular athletics to students with disabilities. The complete report can be downloaded in Text or PDF format.

Comprehensive system designed to collect data from all postsecondary institutions and educational organizations. Find colleges and universities and data about these organizations on this site.

Report on the special challenges many students with disabilities face in making a successful transition from two- to four-year schools. This information can be downloaded in PDF format.

A collaborative research, training, technical assistance and dissemination program designed to develop more effective responses to the needs of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system or at-risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system.

Research publication related to successful transitions between infant/toddler programs, preschool programs and public school programs for young children with disabilities and their families.

Reports from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the NLTS, the first effort in this country to document the experiences and outcomes of youth with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.

Research and evaluations, noteworthy practices and links regarding mental illness and intellectual disabilities in adult education.

This study examines practices and challenges in the processes applied in three New York State districts in identifying learning disabilities among students who are English language learners. It identifies several challenges to the identification of learning disabilities in English language learner students, including difficulties with policy guidelines; different stakeholder views about timing for referral of English language learner students; insufficient knowledge among personnel involved in identification; and difficulties providing consistent, adequate services to English language learner students. A summary of the report can be downloaded in PDF format.

Report from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences on states and territories that have requirements for teaching children with disabilities as part of their certification requirements of teachers.  The full report and a summary are available in PDF format.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has issued a statement on the release by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers of a set of state-led education standards known as the Common Core State Standards. The Standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to master to succeed in college and careers, and include information about the importance of challenging, and supporting, students with disabilities to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives.

A study produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security for the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer.

The National Center for Education Statistics has released the Condition of Education 2010, a report summarizing important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 49 indicators on the status and condition of education, in addition to a special section on high-poverty schools. Among the data reported relating to students with disabilities--95 percent of the children and youth who received services in 2007-08 were enrolled in regular schools, and 6.6 million children and youth, representing 13 percent of public school enrollment, received special education services. Of those who received these services, 39 percent did so for a specific learning disability. The entire report (429 pages) can be downloaded in PDF format.

This issue brief from the Center for Studying Disability Policy highlights the importance of improving transition policy for youth with disabilities, reviews lessons from recent research and considers transformative policy changes and why and how such changes might be tested. This link opens a PDF document.

Describes transition activities in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to improve outcomes for youth with disabilities in their transition from secondary school to adulthood. This information can be downloaded in PDF or Word format. Page 21 of this document has a list of transition resources.