A Comparative Analysis of the "Holding Power" of General and Exceptional Education Programs

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Abstract
Exceptional education programs contain many of the characteristics associated with effective dropout-prevention programs. However, little is known about the effectiveness of exceptional education as a dropout-prevention program. This article presents the results of a comparative study of the “holding power” of a large school district's general education program and the holding power of the following exceptional education programs: specific learning disabilities (SLD), emotionally handicapped (EH), educable mentally handicapped (EMH), and gifted. An ex post facto design was used, and data were obtained from the computer records of 8,800 tenth-grade students. Data analyses revealed significant differences between the holding power of the general program and the SLD and gifted programs. Suggestions for strengthening the holding power of exceptional education programs and directions for future research are included.

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