Inclusive education for students with special educational needs (SEN) has become a major international policy and research priority since the Salamanca Statement (1994). Yet no recent synthesis has mapped how review-level evidence in this field has developed over time. This umbrella review examined 53 review studies, which together synthesized approximately 2000 primary studies on inclusive education for students with SEN. Using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) umbrella review methodology and PRISMA (2020) reporting procedures, records were identified through five databases, screened in Covidence, appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist, and analyzed to examine thematic emphases, bibliometric patterns, and methodological shifts. The findings show an expansion and diversification of studies, particularly after 2015, with dominant themes focusing on teacher attitudes and professional development, inclusive practices and outcomes, specific student populations, social inclusion, and policy, systems, and implementation barriers. The review also identified a shift from early narrative overviews to more rigorous systematic qualitative reviews and meta-analyses, alongside increasing international representation. Overall, findings indicate that review-level research on inclusive education for students with SEN has matured considerably since Salamanca, reflecting both the growing complexity of inclusive schooling and the influence of global policy agendas on the production of evidence syntheses.
Hay et al. (2026) studied this question.