[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-detail-576861-en":59,"doc-seo-576861-105":81},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":60},{"doc_id":61,"user_id":62,"nickname":63,"user_avatar":64,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":66,"doc_content":67,"file_id":68,"file_url":69,"file_type":70,"file_size":71,"view_count":14,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":72,"language":73,"language_code":74,"site_id":75,"html_lang":74,"table_of_contents":76,"faqs":77,"seo_title":78,"seo_description":66,"update_tm":79,"read_time":80},576861,549758146520,"Patrick","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/80002397d8c0411e94?_k=1775819394049821470","Whole-School Inclusion Programs and Student Academic and Behavioral Outcomes","Study evaluates the impact of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (UCS) whole-school inclusion initiative on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. Using 11 years of student-level administrative data from North Carolina and a difference-in-differences approach, the analysis links UCS exposure to standardized test scores, GPA, graduation rates, absenteeism, and disciplinary incidents. Longer UCS participation is associated with higher academic performance and fewer absences and suspensions, especially for students with intellectual disabilities, with larger effects for students from low-income backgrounds.","AERA Open  \nJanuary-December 2025, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1–23 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584251400289  \nArticle reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2025. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero)  \nWhole-School Inclusion Programs and Student Academic and  \nBehavioral Outcomes  \nMichelle Yin  \nNorthwestern University  \nGarima Siwach  \nAmerican Institutes for Research  \nAlexis Orellana  \nUniversidad Andrés Bello  \nThis study examines the impact of a nationally scaled whole-school inclusion initiative—the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (UCS) program—on student academic and behavioral outcomes. Using 11years of student-level administrative data from North Carolina and a difference-in-differences design, we analyze how exposure to UCS relates to standardized test scores, grade point average, graduation rates, absenteeism, and disciplinary incidents. Results show that longer participation in UCS is associated with improved academic performance and reductions in absenteeism and suspensions, particularly for students with intellectual disabilities. Subgroup analyses suggest larger effects for students from low-income backgrounds. As the first student-level evaluation of UCS using a rigorous empirical design, this study provides new evidence on the academic and behavioral benefits of whole-school inclusion programs. Findings highlight the potential of sustained, schoolwide approaches to support positive outcomes for students with and without disabilities and inform future efforts to strengthen inclusive practices in educational settings.  \nKeywords: academic achievement, achievement gap, evaluation, special education, quasi-experimental analysis, secondary data analysis, inclusive education, student behavior, econometric analysis  \nIntroduction  \nEfforts to ensure access to high-quality education for all students continue to shape national discussions about public education. Over recent decades, special education policy in the United States has evolved from a focus on access to general education settings to an emphasis on accountability and inclusive instructional practices (Hardman & Nagle, 2004) . Public schools are now expected to provide rigorous, standards-aligned instruction to all students, regardless of individual learning needs or demographic characteristics. Despite these policy advances, academic and behavioral disparities between students with and without disabilities remain substantial. For example, in 2019–2020, the average on-time graduation rate for students with disabilities was 70.6%, compared to 86.5% for all students (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2021) . Students with disabilities are also more likely to be chronically absent and disproportionately subject to exclusionary disciplinary  \npractices. In 2013–2014, although students with disabilities represented 12% of the K–12 population, they accounted for 25% of law enforcement referrals, school-based arrests, and suspensions (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2018) . These challenges are often interconnected, as lower academic performance frequently co-occurs with chronic absenteeism and behavioral issues (K. P. Anderson, 2021; Gershenson et al., 2017) .  \nAcademic and social development are closely linked (Juvonen & Wentzel, 1996) . Inclusive environments that cultivate social-emotional skills—such as empathy, collaboration, and problem-solving—can enhance academic engagement and reduce behavioral issues (Borghans et al., 2008; Deming, 2017; Heckman & Rubinstein, 2001) . Research has shown that socially inclusive schools can foster self-awareness, positive peer relationships, and reduced fear of human differences, all of which contribute to stronger school attachment and improved student behavior (Hawkins  \nCreative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Cr","cbCaifBehM25FeV3","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifBehM25FeV3","pdf",1342133,23,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n## Policy context and persistent disparities\n## Academic-social link and inclusive environments\n# Research focus and program gap","[{\"question\":\"What program does the study evaluate?\",\"answer\":\"The study evaluates the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (UCS) whole-school inclusion initiative.\"},{\"question\":\"How does UCS exposure relate to student outcomes?\",\"answer\":\"Longer UCS participation is associated with improved academic performance and reductions in absenteeism and suspensions, particularly for students with intellectual disabilities.\"},{\"question\":\"What methods and data does the study use?\",\"answer\":\"It uses 11 years of student-level administrative data from North Carolina and applies a difference-in-differences design to analyze academic and behavioral outcomes.\"}]","Whole-School Inclusion Programs and Student Academic and Behavioral Outcomes | PDF",1792030568,58,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"ok",{"site_id":75,"language":74,"slug":84,"title":65,"keywords":85,"description":66,"schema_data":86,"social_meta":140,"head_meta":142,"extra_data":144,"updated_unix":145},"whole-school-inclusion-programs-and-student-academic-and-behavioral-outcomes","",{"@graph":87,"@context":139},[88,102,122],{"@type":89,"itemListElement":90},"BreadcrumbList",[91,95,97,100],{"item":92,"name":93,"@type":94,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":96,"name":9,"@type":94,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":98,"name":35,"@type":94,"position":99},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":101,"name":65,"@type":94,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/whole-school-inclusion-programs-and-student-academic-and-behavioral-outcomes/576861/",{"url":101,"name":65,"@type":103,"image":104,"author":109,"headline":65,"publisher":111,"fileFormat":114,"inLanguage":74,"description":66,"dateModified":115,"datePublished":116,"encodingFormat":114,"isAccessibleForFree":117,"interactionStatistic":118},"DigitalDocument",{"url":105,"@type":106,"width":107,"height":108},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/whole-school-inclusion-programs-and-student-academic-and-behavioral-outcomes/576861.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":63,"@type":110},"Person",{"url":92,"name":112,"@type":113},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":119,"interactionType":120,"userInteractionCount":14},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":121},"ViewAction",{"@type":123,"mainEntity":124},"FAQPage",[125,131,135],{"name":126,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":128},"What program does the study evaluate?","Question",{"text":129,"@type":130},"The study evaluates the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (UCS) whole-school inclusion initiative.","Answer",{"name":132,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":133},"How does UCS exposure relate to student outcomes?",{"text":134,"@type":130},"Longer UCS participation is associated with improved academic performance and reductions in absenteeism and suspensions, particularly for students with intellectual disabilities.",{"name":136,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":137},"What methods and data does the study use?",{"text":138,"@type":130},"It uses 11 years of student-level administrative data from North Carolina and applies a difference-in-differences design to analyze academic and behavioral outcomes.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":101,"og:type":141,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":112,"og:description":66},"article",{"robots":143,"canonical":101},"index,follow",{"doc_id":61,"site_id":75},1792419900]