This paper discusses the key issues and concerns in the Cambodian government's efforts to implement three priority education policies for 2006-2010: ensure equitable access to education; increase quality and efficiency of the education services; and promote institutional development and capacity building for decentralisation. This paper identifies…

Many states and school districts are implementing test-based requirements for promotion at key transitional points in students' schooling careers, thus ending the practice of "social promotion"--promoting students who have failed to meet academic standards and requirements for that grade. In 2003-2004, the New York City Department of…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of educators regarding the impact of grade retention on K-5 elementary students. Principals (N=384) and teachers (N=384) in K-5 elementary schools from 11 southern states were surveyed. The study included 169 responses from principals and 140 responses from teachers. The data revealed that…

This theme issue includes five articles that focus on educational policy in the Texas legislature in relation to student retention, Internet access, and sexual harassment. "1999 Texas Legislative Session--End of an Era?" (Albert Cortez, Maria Robledo Montecel) examines educational equity issues facing legislators: school funding,…

The Texas Advisory Committee to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights conducted a public forum and gathered information on the extent to which early childhood education programs have affected equal educational opportunities for minority students in Texas. The hearings were held in response to the failure of public education systems to meet the…

This article describes the types of nongraded elementary schools that were prevalent from the 1950s through the 1970s, reviews research on the academic achievement effects of nongraded schools, and draws inferences from this research for application of nongraded systems in today's schools. Research in which an objective measure of achievement was…

This paper analyzes the value of student retention practices, or of flunking students, and presents viable options. Advocates of retention argue that it prevents future academic failure, ensures mastery of the basic skills necessary for success in higher grades, and motivates students. However, others argue that retention is associated with…

Seven strategies for improving the quality and efficiency of educational system in Latin American are delineated within the context of background information on the coverage and efficiency of school systems from 1970 to 1980, technical and institutional limitations to educational progress, and an estimate of the impact of the strategies.…

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…

This document outlines general considerations and academic and non-academic guidelines to be observed by Milwaukee teachers and principals in making K-6 grade placement decisions in accordance with the School Board's new policy. The first section, "General Considerations for Grade Placement at All Grade Levels," considers: (1) evaluation…

Peer sociometrics, teacher ratings of academic performance, and self-concept scores were used to compare the social, academic, and psychological adjustment of 47 low-achieving/retained, low-achieving/promoted, and average achieving/promoted 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-grade students from two southern rural elementary schools. Because the sample was…

Grades awarded to secondary school students in the Cleveland (Ohio) public schools were analyzed to determine relationships between grades and selected school climate variables in a desegregated urban school district. Failures or F grades and schoolwide non-promotion rates were both related to rates of class attendance and school suspensions. Over…

A study was conducted to determine if participation in a pre-first grade transactional program would be more effective than grade repetition in enhancing first grade readiness. The transition program emphasized the acquisition of academic and behavioral skills necessary for a successful first grade experience. Students in the program were trained…

Project Upswing was a two-year tutoring experiment directed by universities in Denver, Oxford (Mississippi), St. Louis, and San Francisco and involving first graders identified by their teachers at the beginning of the school year as capable of normal achievement but having learning difficulties. Half of the students served as a control group and…

As a part of a study of educational wastage in Asian countries by the United Nations Educational, Scientific , and Cultural Organization, this summary review reports the incidence of dropout and retardation in public elementary schools in the countries included in the study (mainly Afghanistan, Malaysia, Nepal, and the Philippines). It is noted…