This teacher's guide reviews the literature on grade retention and promotion to help teachers make decisions concerning students in the primary grades. A brief introduction provides a statement of the problem; outlines the purpose, organization, and limitations of the study; and presents a glossary. Annotated citations for 34 studies are…

Included in this review of the literature on grade retention are annotations for 13 articles supporting nonpromotion policies, 13 articles refuting nonpromotion policies, and 5 articles arguing that both policies result in undesirable consequences. Articles are identified as being: (1) original research comparing students retained with students…

Ten annotations of literature in the ERIC system that discuss the pros and cons of grade retention for low-achieving students are presented in this booklet. (Author/MLF)

This collection of papers examines prior and current research and policy on grade repetition and social promotion. Papers include: "Where Is Lake Wobegon, Anyway? The Controversy Surrounding Social Promotion" (Richard Rothstein); "Student Retention: Why Is There a Gap between the Majority of Research Findings and School…