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…

Investigates changes of the student population with academic difficulty at the College of the Canyons. More specifically, this fall 2002 study investigates trends of the student population with academic difficulty over time, demographic changes of the population over time, and the impacts of an academic intervention workshop. Outlines the…

When the educational system in Ontario, Canada, moved toward a child-centered philosophy, the onus for failure was placed on the child and his or her home environment. This philosophy penalized children from working-class and non-English-speaking homes. Arguments in the nature-nurture controversy are reviewed. (PP)

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)

Discusses how children from certain social backgrounds come not to succeed in schooling at the same rate as other children, examining explanations that have been posited since the 1950s. Calls for greater recognition among educators that children's social and cultural experiences affect their communicative styles and, thus, their learning. (GC)

Reviews literature from several disciplinary and theoretical perspectives on the relationship between academic failure and student attitudes and behavior. Argues that the current process of schooling generates negative student attitudes and antisocial behavior, and examines how improved research methods might generate a more complete view of…

Investigated teachers' ability to identify students at-risk for failure. Found correlations between teachers' ratings and standard measures of intelligence and ability of 337 sixth graders were highly significant and predictive of high school grades. At-risk students were significantly less academically able, more anxious and had lower…

This study compared causal perceptions of teachers and pupils regarding pupils' success or failure on a test. Teachers attributed success to themselves, to home conditions, and to effort on the part of the student. They attributed failure to the pupils' lack of preparation, low ability, and test difficulty. The perceptions of the pupils were…

The case involves the academic dismissal of a female medical student and her allegation of denial of due process. Other related decisions are reviewed. It is concluded that this decision endangers the vitality of the concept of due process. Available from "NY Law School Law Review," 57 Worth St., New York, NY 10013. (MSE)

A study involving five fourth-grade behavior problem children with reading failure was designed to replicate an earlier study which demonstrated positive effects of teacher written praise notes as motivating agents for improved performance. (SBH)

A look at one adult literacy class in India indicated that, despite apparently ideal educational conditions, students remained almost illiterate. The author comments on the results and speculates on the reasons. (MF)

Discusses the educational philosophy and the writings of James Comer, who argues that education clings to a model of teaching and learning that promises only failure for countless children and that teacher training fails to equip teachers for the realities and demands of contemporary classrooms. (SR)

This article describes the problem-solving model (PSM) used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding intervention in general education, special education referral, and evaluation for special education eligibility for high-incidence disabilities. Program evaluation indicates students received special education services earlier…

Data from a national survey of high school students were examined to determine the effects of increased mathematics requirements on the kinds of mathematics students studied, dropout rates, achievement test score gains, and the association of socioeconomic status with test scores and dropping out. Results found little effect on probability of…

Two models are presented, which depict dropping out as a developmental process that may begin in the earliest grades. The frustration-self-esteem model focuses on school failure and student rejection of or by a school. The participation-identification model focuses on student involvement in schooling, with behavioral and emotional components. (TJH)