This report reviews the research on summer school and demonstrates that summer school makes a difference in students' lives if it is done right. A survey of more than 1,000 schools in the southern United States found that one-third of the responding schools did not offer summer school, many programs being the victims of budget cuts. Of those…

This paper suggests that since neither grade retention nor social promotion work, there must be an alternative between these two extremes. Successful efforts to end these practices should: identify student problems as early as possible; intervene as soon as problems are identified; design the extra help around each student's needs; and have strong…

In June 2002, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) adopted a new set of goals for the 21st century. Those goals included reaching every student, from preschool to high school, to ensure that achievement exceeds national averages and that performance gaps are closed. According to this brief report, research clearly shows that quality summer…