This compilation of resource materials includes ERIC Digests, worksheets and short articles. The eight chapters cover: (1) "Readiness/Kindergarten"; (2) "Multiyear Education"; (3) " Extra Learning Time"; (4) "Teaching Across the Curriculum"; (5) " Learning and Understanding"; (6) "Behavior and…

What should educators do with students who do not meet standards? Ideas and strategies that educators can use to answer this question are outlined in this book. Rather than relying on forced social promotion, schools can and should offer students a variety of helpful options, such as remaining in the same classroom with the same teacher for…

This report provides annual information for the 1998-99 school year on grade-level retention in the Texas public school system, based on the Public Education Information Management System. Data on retention are provided by grade, ethnicity, gender, participation in special education, degree of English proficiency, and socioeconomic status. In…

This report examines the performance of students facing the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy to end social promotion in 1999. As the third group to face CPS promotional test cutoffs, they received more programmatic support than previous students. An afterschool program was expanded considerably, and many more at-risk students were required to…

A follow-up study of 152 children enrolled in 66 urban schools was conducted at the end of the children's eighth year in school to determine any continuing influence of preschool experiences on later educational transitions. All children had attended both pre-kindergarten/Head Start and kindergarten prior to first grade entry. The sample was 97…

This report looks at student retention in Texas over a 4-year period, beginning with the 1993-94 school year. Grade-level retention is typically defined as having a student repeat an unsuccessful grade or holding back a child not developmentally ready to enter school. The information is analyzed by grade, ethnicity, and gender, as well as other…

Research regarding the promotion or retention of students has shown consistently that non-promotion is not an aid to pupil achievement, personal development, or motivation. Alternative strategies for dealing with underachievers are discussed. (PP)

Interviews were conducted with school administrators in six school districts identified as having increasing rates of retention in grade, transitional-grade placements, and identification of students as having disabilities. Virtually all explanations offered by the administrators placed the school outside the central sphere of influence and…

Reports on a study of the relationship of several measures of educational quality to labor market outcomes among 4,000 workers in Bogota, Colombia. Finds that the score on university entrance examinations and the university's prestige have a significant positive impact on the earnings and occupational status of adults. (CFR)

Assessed first- and fifth-grade teachers' perceptions of student retention. Found an unwritten policy among teachers advocating retention of students as beneficial. Respondents believed that retention improved academic performance or facilitated student growth and increased learning success. Results suggest a serious gap between research…

A survey of 251 North Dakota parents of learning-disabled students found that retention occurred twice as frequently for students with learning disabilities as for the general student population. Parents of retained students tended to have lower educational aspirations for their children than did parents of nonretained students. Discusses…

New Haven (Connecticut) Public Schools realized that pushing students academically was useless without creating a positive school climate to address their social and emotional needs. James Comer's School Development Program is the district's guiding principle. Via planning and student-support teams, school community members decide on life-skills…

This paper constitutes a major part of the third phase of a longitudinal study in Swaziland investigating the short- and long-term effects of parental absence on primary children's school achievement. In 1998, 42 of the original sample of 80 students who entered grade one in 1990 were found remaining in the educational system but varied in their…

This research developed from the recognition that work-based placement briefing and debriefing sessions need to encourage reflection and student self-directed learning. An action research methodology was used to obtain students views of the value of briefing and debriefing sessions. Changes to session format were introduced and then in response to…

Background: The risk of sexually transmitted diseases is high but opportunities of sexual education for adolescents are limited in Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate sexual attitudes and behaviors and to determine the predictors of sexual initiation among adolescents. Methods: A questionnaire designed by the researchers was administered…