ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the opportunities presented by the availability of quantitative data and focuses on the conceptual and technical problems involved in their use to explore questions about achievement and inclusion. It outlines the emergence of sophisticated mixed-method studies such as the Investigating Links in Achievement and Deprivation (ILiAD) project in Northern Ireland, which combines statistical data with case studies. The technological developments that are allowing for the creation and analysis of large-scale datasets hold promise but they also present a key problem for inclusion. Schooling takes place in many varied classroom and school environments within a policy context that promotes both inclusive education and 'standards-based' reforms intended to increase academic attainment as a measure of achievement. Outcomes data can be useful in studies that examine who has access to which forms of education, an important but partial aspect of understanding the intersection of achievement and inclusion.
