When Math Doesn't Add Up: Why Inclusion Requires More Than Just Sharing Space

A recent study published in Nature examined basic math skills between children in school and children working in street markets in two cities in India. The results speak to the challenge of skills transfer.

Children who had to work instead of attending school could quickly calculate the charge and change for customers. They excelled in mental math unlike their peers who were learning math in school. The reverse was true for school children. They mastered abstract math but didn’t transfer their classroom skills to the marketplace requirements.

Despite knowing the same basic math, the children couldn't transfer their skills between contexts. Only 1% of school-only children could solve market math problems that more than 33% of working children solved correctly.

Consider these findings in the context of inclusive education in the United States, using a child with dyslexia as our example. 

Alden is pulled out of their general education classroom for specialized reading instruction. Working with the special ed teacher who provides specific strategies and materials that work with Alden’s learning style, they make great progress.

The IEP team wants Alden to spend more time in the least restrictive environment- the general education classroom. But Alden’s progress slows, and possibly even regresses initially—not because they can't read, but because the format, expectations, and environment are different. The skills are the same, but the context has changed.

Just as the researchers concluded that "schools must bridge the gap between intuitive and formal mathematics," educators must bridge the gap between specialized instruction and general education. Bridge building looks like:

-          Co-teaching models where special and general educators collaborate on lesson design ensure strategies work across contexts.

-          Universal Design for Learning principles—providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression—create classroom environments where specialized techniques benefit everyone.

When we stop seeing inclusion as merely physical placement and start building deliberate skill transfer pathways, we create truly inclusive education where all students can apply their learning across every context they encounter—in school and beyond. Do the math.