The Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) II data are analysed, using multilevel modelling techniques, to explore the key issues underlying the development of school effectiveness models. Differences between schools in Grade 6 pupils' reading and mathematics achievements are examined and the percentage…

Grounded in state-of-the-art research, this book explores how English language learners develop both the oral language and literacy skills necessary for school success. Chapters examine the cognitive bases of English acquisition, and how the process is different for children from alphabetic (such as Spanish) and nonalphabetic (such as Chinese)…

Researchers target 9th grade as the make or break year for completing high school. During the 9th-grade year, many students for the first time have to earn passing grades in core courses, and these core courses are typically some of the toughest and most rigorous academic classes a student must take in high school. Furthermore, the rising use of…

Many schools have adopted early-grade retention as an intervention strategy for children displaying academic or behavioral problems. Previous analyses of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort data have found evidence of negative effects of kindergarten retention on academic learning during the repeated year. Will kindergarten…

This monograph looks at patterns and prevalence of initial school enrolment, late entry, attainment promotion, and repetition in urban South Africa. The paper pays special attention to the particular gender nature of the patterns of school participation. The study analyses data generated in the genuine representative cohort study, Birth-to-Twenty…

This paper examines the issue of school dropout in six communities in the Savelugu-Nanton District in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study focused on 89 children (64 boys and 25 girls) aged 7-16 years, who had dropped out of school. A snowballing sampling method was employed to recruit participants to the study. Two researchers interviewed the…

The increasingly common practice of retaining kindergarten children by enrolling them in alternative programs instead of first grade is briefly discussed in terms of what research says about retention, the social stigma of retention, the escalating kindergarten curriculum, and alternatives to retention. It is argued that the fad to flunk…

Presents arguments for individualized instruction in elementary schools. (PF)

The importance of cooperative and honest interaction between a school and parents in making a good decision about whether or not to retain a child is emphasized. The roles of school and parents are defined. An inset box summarizes research findings on retention and lists other alternatives to promotion. (MT)

Evaluated effects of nonpromotion in 137 high school students who had been retained in a grade, had participated in a junior first-grade program, or were matched controls. Results indicated that participants in junior first-grade programs were at par with peers, whereas grade repeaters made less progress in high school. (NRB)

Those who decide to keep a child in an elementary grade for an additional year do so despite very persuasive research evidence that negative effects consistently outweigh positive outcomes. Retention suggests the student is solely responsible and is therefore a punishment rather than a solution. (MT)

In this report, the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) reviews the history of the the Indiana Early Literacy Intervention Grant Program (ELIGP), the research base on individual intervention models, and the impact of the grant program on student achievement. In light of this information, CEEP examines the efficacy of this program.…

Content and performance standards can underlie high-quality assessments that provide useful information about how students and schools are doing. These data should be used to inform teaching decisions, trigger special supports for students' learning, and evaluate school practices, rather than simply allocating mechanistically determined rewards…

Examined relationship between extra-year programs and later school achievement among 95 children who were either retained in kindergarten, placed in transition classroom, recommended for extra-year program but went to first grade, or advanced to first grade without reservation. Found that children retained performed significantly lower on…

Grade retention is a common practice used when students fail to meet required benchmarks. Therefore, it is important that we understand the relative benefits and costs associated with students repeating a grade. In this article we analyze the costs and benefits of grade retention. In our examination of retention, we obtain our calculations of the…