Assesses the ability of elementary school teachers to identify at-risk students using three prominent indicators. Summarizes the reasons teachers give for identifying a student as at risk. Concludes that teachers are moderately accurate estimators of students' likelihood of being academically at risk. (Author/BB)

Seventy-four retained students in grades 3 through 6 were compared with 60 randomly selected students, 69 matched-ability students, and 35 students who were socially promoted. Early academic difficulties tend to persist. Although retention does not eliminate academic problems, social promotion may exacerbate them. (SLD)

This report describes the final status of classroom practice in Texas prekindergarten programs in comparison to initial study findings and findings from a self-study component implemented in 1993 with prekindergarten staffs participating in the study. Findings from the longitudinal component indicated positive trends in academic performance for…

Using data from the same source as that employed in Herrnstein and Murray's book, "The Bell Curve," this study reexamined links between the test scores of mothers and children, paying close attention to what the scores measure and whether these measurements mean the same things for blacks and whites. The study replicated Herrnstein and…

Over the years, findings of the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) have had a significant impact on decisions made in the district and sometimes beyond it. The ORE's impact in the AISD is reviewed in 16 areas. Some of the major findings are summarized: (1) ORE studies of retention in…

The issue of grade retention and social promotion is still a very controversial topic. The empirical literature assessing the effectiveness of nonpromotion remains mixed. Nonpromotion seems most effective with students in white, suburban, and middle-class school districts. This paper describes a 4-year follow-up to an earlier controlled study by…

The incidence and causal factors of dropping out of school and grade repetition at the primary school level in the Nandi District of Kenya were examined. The study involved longitudinal analysis of primary school flow from 1976 to 1982 in five representative schools. Data were gathered through questionnaires and interviews with District Education…

This study investigated factors that play a role in the fading effects of prekindergarten programs for economically disadvantaged children. The school adjustment of 1,284 low-income, minority children in prekindergarten and kindergarten programs funded by the government (i.e., Child Parent Center; Head Start) was traced through the third year of…

The subsequent school progress of children who attended the Get Set Day Care (GSDC) or Prekindergarten Head Start (PKHS) preschool programs compared to peers who had a different type or no preschool experience is examined in this document. The study corroborates the two major findings of the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies: that preschool…

This handbook contains supportive materials related to administering, planning, and evaluating public kindergarten programs. The main contents of the handbook include information on administering a public kindergarten and planning the kindergarten curriculum. The foreword stresses that the curriculum section is not a complete design but is…

In order to identify factors which indicate a student would benefit educationally from retention, and to provide information and recommendations to educators, parents, and others involved in the decision to retain a child, this paper addresses the issue of retention in four major areas: the historical basis of retention, negative and positive…

Students of the Austin (Texas) Independent School procedures, and results District who had been in first through sixth grade during 1982-83 and were recommended for retention at the end of the year were eligible to attend the 1983 summer school for retainees. The program was designed to provide additional basic skills instruction so that retainees…

A school's promotion policy is an integral component of its overall educational policy. In conjunction with achievement goals, it defines the levels of performance that permit students to move through grade levels and to graduate. This digest reviews the various promotion policies and practices in current use by secondary schools, particularly…

Decisions about whether to promote a student should be made on a variety of both academic and social grounds, and the curriculum should be restructured to meet the student's needs if retention is chosen. As with other academic/punitive measures, poor Blacks and Hispanics tend to be retained disproportionate to their numbers because minorities are…

Attendance rates and selected academic and school climate indicators in 39 secondary schools in Cleveland, Ohio, were studied by ranking and grouping the schools into the top third, the middle third, and the lowest third, based on attendance rates. Compared to the group of schools with highest attendance rates, the schools composing the lowest…