There is probably no widespread educational practice as thoroughly discredited as retention in grade. If the research undercutting this practice is sound, the task is to uproot outdated misconceptions appealing to educators'"common sense" wisdom. An Arizona study's influence on the attitudes of community leaders, local teachers, and…

Assessment of the relationships among self-concept, motivation, teacher, student, and parent attitudes, and achievement with students academically held back showed significant improvement in primary and intermediate grade retainees but not for secondary school students. Attitude scales also showed decreasing effectiveness of retention at higher…

Interviews with 40 incarcerated juvenile female offenders found they typically reported failing 1 or more grades; more than having serious arrest; using drugs prior to crimes and as part of their lifestyle; and acting intentionally, and most often with others, to commit crimes. Critical factors included academic deficiencies, siblings who were…

Examined the extent of extra-year programs for kindergarten students in Texas school districts; identified procedures and curricular interventions; and established the growth trend of these classes statewide. Found that 39% of the 285 school districts responding had transition classes, and the trend for the state at-large appeared to be one of…

A cohort of 782 Soweto (black South African) students was traced during students' first 4 years of schooling, 1987-90 (apartheid still in effect). Only 55 percent completed second grade in 4 years, but repetition in grade was a much greater problem than dropping out. Discusses postapartheid policy implications for improving educational efficiency…

Recent emphases on school readiness and standardized testing have resulted in educational practices with negative consequences for children. These practices include a higher school entry age, grade retention, transition programs, and the practice of enrolling children in kindergarten when they are six, rather than five, years old. (BC)

Analysis of achievement data for over 20,000 Mexican primary school graduates shows that mathematics and Spanish achievement were significantly related to being male, being younger, having better educated parents, and living in states with developed educational systems. Student preschool experience increased achievement scores, particularly in…

A follow-up in-depth study of 100 seventh graders who had been previously identified as at risk (39% of whom were identified as eligible for special education) found that, although at-risk students received more intervention strategies than their counterparts, they were still being retained in grade and failing to a greater degree. (SLD)

Follow-up study investigates the effects of retention on school achievement, perceived school competence, and delinquency. The strongest predictors of retention were early school performance, gender, parental participation in school, and the number of school moves. Findings suggest that intervention approaches other than grade retention are needed…

Referral, placement, and retention decisions were analyzed using item response theory (IRT) to study whether classification decisions could be placed on the latent continuum of ability normally associated with test items and to study the existence of classification differential item functioning. Results with 352 kindergarten children demonstrate…

Studied the effect of homelessness on cognitive and academic functioning of children 6 to 11 years old in comparison to a control group of housed children in the same classroom. Found no differences in cognitive functioning between homeless and housed children, but did find that homeless children performed significantly more poorly than housed…

Describes origin and elements of the standards movement. Reviews research on grade retention and social promotion and concludes that both are failed strategies to improve student achievement. Describes principal's role in meeting standards. Discusses the use of systemic and classroom interventions to help students meet state standards. (Contains…

This study investigated the contributions of 5 mechanisms to the effects of preschool participation in the Child-Parent Centers for 1,404 low-income children in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Based on a matched-group design, preschool participation was associated with significantly higher rates of educational attainment and lower rates of…

Across the country, official reports of high school students out of school do not always reflect the scope and extent of an urgent but neglected national education problem: The nation's graduation rate is in steady decline. An increasing percentage of adolescents are not graduating from school in four or even five years. A related cause for…

The primary objective of this study was to improve the educational success of children with sickle-cell disease (SCD) and cerebral infarcts. A prospective intervention trial was conducted; a multidisciplinary team was created to maximize educational resources for children with SCD and cerebral infarcts. Students were evaluated systematically…