Part of a series of reports on the world of isolated children who are neglected, not rejected. This article discusses several developmental patterns and shared characteristics detected among such "forgotten" children, and suggests guidelines for teachers. (RH)

Reviewed court cases concerning student retention and found that courts generally defer to the promotion-retention decisions of school officials. However, courts may demand additional justification for retention decisions based on a single criteria and are likely to overturn school retention decisions that have a disproportionate impact on…

Pre-service teacher education is concerned with producing graduates who move into the field able, in terms of both skills and attitudes, to implement research-based conclusions that may not always coincide with the attitudes of previously trained teachers. We sought to assess attitudes and attitude change regarding contemporary issues in education…

It is estimated that around 2.4 million students per year were retained in U.S. schools in the late 1990s. Are these children receiving the best educational services to suit their needs? Are there differences between low-achieving students who are not retained and those who are? Researchers and practitioners are asking these and other questions as…

This paper examines the decision-making process in retaining a student and the empirical effects of such decisions within an economic framework. The article models the decision to retain a child as a parental decision in which a parent holds a child back because the benefit of retention is higher expected earnings. The costs of retention include…

Eliminating social promotion, retaining students in grade, and using proficiency standards to determine students' progress through grades was intended to make schools accountable and increase academic achievement. Research evidence demonstrates that grade retention does not improve achievement and may increase the chances of a student dropping out…

A central focus of this report is estimating whether retention had a positive impact in students' achievement growth. Evaluating the effect of retention means that the researchers have to find a comparison group of low-achieving students who might represent what would have happened if those students who failed to make the promotional cutoff had…

Research findings indicate that grade retention leads to problems in student self-esteem and raises the dropout level. A transition grade between kindergarten and first grade is also considered harmful to students. Cites changes in different states' retention policies. (MLF)

Issues concerning teachers' beliefs and practices about retention in kindergarten were explored in a study of 40 kindergarten teachers in one district. Teachers' beliefs and practices were found to be related. Teachers' endorsement of retention differed from extant propositional knowledge and from perceptions of other interested groups. (SLD)

The extent of truancy, dropout, and grade repetition in 36 Dutch secondary schools was correlated with contextual variables such as school size, class size, and percentage of non-Dutch pupils. Multiple regression showed that numbers of non-Dutch pupils and average class size were of importance regarding the extent of truancy. (SK)

Three programs which focus on at-risk kindergarten students are described. These programs feature kindergarten retention, transition classes, and child development specialists, respectively. (IAH)

The two traditional ways of dealing with students' inabilities to read--holding them back or passing them on to the next teacher--were rejected by one Delaware district anxious to improve its first-graders' reading skills. Teachers suggested involving parents, providing more reading time, and using teacher aides more effectively. A successful…

Although the New York State reading assessment was aimed at identifying children with extra educational needs, one study shows that the current high-stakes nature of the tests has distorted that intent. Rather than rewarding instructional quality, state accountability profiles often reward questionable instructional practices such as retention in…

Although research indicates that retention has little educational value for children, the retention process and rate continue to escalate. Retention consequences are devastating and pervasive. The paper discusses decisions regarding retention and notes positive alternatives (e.g., parental involvement, modifications in instructional practices and…

Professionals must teach and operate schools in the best interests of students, using their knowledge to guide their efforts. This article summarizes what educators know about teaching and learning, teachers and work conditions, and school improvement. Decentralization, deregulation, and empowerment will prevail only by creating "elite"…