In which settings do children with special educational needs learn better?

The question as to which institutional settings are more conducive to learning for children with special educational needs is currently a highly controversial discussion topic both in the scientific community and in the public sphere. Although these children are increasingly taught inclusively or integratively at schools of general education, so far there are barely any empirical findings on the differential effects of schooling in special schools or the other schools of general education within the German school system. The scientific analyses underlying this article tackle this gap in research on the basis of data from the 2011 IQB (Institute for Educational Quality Improvement) country comparison for primary education. Clear differences can be shown favouring the learning attainment of pupils with special educational needs in inclusive or integrative settings at primary schools.