Discusses looping, or multiyear assignment of children, as a strategy to ease the retention/social-promotion dilemma. Multiyear assignment gives teachers extra time to bring low-performing students up to grade level and develop stable, caring relationships with students. A suburban Kansas school's successful program is profiled. (24 references)…

Discusses a 21-year, prospective, longitudinal study providing evidence that retained students have a greater probability of poorer educational and employment outcomes during late adolescence. Results found that retained students had lower levels of academic adjustment and received lower employment competence ratings in comparison to a group of…

Examined the responses of 102 low achieving sixth and eighth graders to Chicago's highly publicized efforts to end social promotion. Students generally described increased work efforts, and students with high levels of work effort generally had greater than average learning gains and positive outcomes in terms of promotion. About one-third of…

Social promotion has long been the normal practice in American schools. Critics of this practice, whereby students are promoted to the next grade regardless of academic preparation, have suggested that students would benefit academically if they were made to repeat a grade. Supporters of social promotion claim that retaining students (i.e, holding…

Merit promotion policies that require students to post passing scores on standardized tests or be retained in grade have become widespread. In this study, the author used a cultural sociological perspective to examine how teachers and students at two urban high schools enacted a district-wide merit promotion policy. Findings indicate that rather…

The theoretical and empirical support available for retention and social promotion, specifically for exceptional children, is reviewed. The impact of these procedures on academic performance, self esteem, and social development is discussed. It is concluded that these procedures are not effective interventions for children with school failure.…

In the 1996-1997 school year, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Illinois, began a national trend when it included a required summer program, Summer Bridge, as a central component of its efforts to end social promotion. More than 21,000 students in grades 3, 6, and 8, the promotional gate grades, have attended Summer Bridge each year, making it one…

Noting the difficult decision faced by educators each year regarding the placement of students who are not performing at grade level, this paper examines issues related to social promotion and retention of elementary school students and presents the findings of a questionnaire study of elementary school teachers in New York. The paper argues that…

This report presents information from a conference of leaders from districts and states that have been implementing policies to end social promotion. Discussions examined: goals for ending social promotion; promising intervention strategies (using comprehensive accountability systems, using multiple measures to determine grade placement, offering…

This booklet, part of a series of reports on "hot topics" in education review the research and conventional wisdom concerning retention and promotion and includes an exploration of alternative practices that can be used to prevent failure and improve a student's chances for successful remediation. The booklet also describes how two…

Notes that research shows that neither grade retention nor social promotion improves educational success. Suggests that familiarity with this research is essential when seeking intervention strategies. Considers how it is possible to strengthen the connection between research and practice by recognizing that educational professionals who know…

Public support for improving public schools over seeking alternatives remains high (70%). Opposition to private contracting is growing. Fully 79% of public-school parents think schools effectively prepare students for the labor market; 72% want higher promotion standards. Inadequate discipline, violence, and scanty funding remain top problems.…

With passage of several recent laws, the California State legislature intended to end social promotion, replacing it with a system of prevention, intervention, and retention. The "strategic schooling" approach depends on three elements: targets (both students and content), continuous feedback via assessments, and organizational and…

Most children enter kindergarten when they are 5 years of age and move into first grade when they are 6. This time period is marked by great developmental change (Sameroff and Haith 1996), and children differ in what they can and cannot do socially, physically, and cognitively. Therefore, parents and educators are concerned whether certain…

During the past decade, amidst the current context emphasizing educational standards and accountability, the practice of grade retention has increased. The call for an end to social promotion has generated a variety of recommendations and legislation regarding promotion policies. This context has served as a catalyst for numerous debates regarding…