A Look at Some Assumptions in Special Education

Abstract

A posteriori analysis of data collected on EMR pupils allowed the scrutiny of a number of commonly held beliefs or assumptions about the educational process. These assumptions pertained to the regression phenomenon over summer, the beneficial effect of summer school, the negative effect of changing teachers, and the negative effect of high absenteeism as reflected in academic achievement. The racial factor as it pertains to academic achievement was also examined. The findings suggested that all these assumptions are extremely suspect and that more closely controlled experimentation should be undertaken to examine these and other assumptions which have been guiding educational endeavors.