This report examines factors contributing to grade repetition in rural elementary schools in Honduras. Forty schools in four Honduran departments were randomly selected from lists of schools with the highest and lowest repetition rates. Subjects were 1,854 students in Grade 1 or 3 during the 1990 school year who were still in the school in March…

Project ABC (Advancement Based on Competency) was a 5-year study funded jointly by the Alberta Department of Education and the Calgary Board of Education. Funded at $999,950, the program took place from 1982 to 1987. It explored alternatives to the Carnegie Unit in three senior high schools. Students, teachers, and administrators in the William…

School transfer acts like a prism, diffracting children's social and learning trajectories. In this paper I explore this sociological effect through two case studies of children moving from the primary to the secondary school. The impacts of the school, peer and family fields are explored using Bourdieu's theory of practice, and shifts in the…

The role that achievement testing plays in the educational system of Trinidad and Tobago and results from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) tests administered in 1989 are discussed (for these tests, students generally sit for five to eight examinations on subjects they have taken throughout their secondary schooling). The educational system…

Promotion rate differences in Brazilian rural and urban primary schools prompted an investigation of educational problems in rural areas. Four case studies were conducted in lower (1st through 4th grade) and upper (5th through 8th grade) rural primary schools in three regions of Espirito Santo State which have different cultures, languages, and…

Methods used to rectify imbalances in student proficiency levels within and between courses are described. One year after changes were made in promotion and placement procedures, examination development, and course and program objectives, course enrollment patterns improved, and there was evidence of improved student achievement in higher level…

Many British students with severe learning difficulties cannot realistically be expected to complete Level 1 requirements of the National Curriculum. These students remain marooned on Level 1 and become failures through continual comparison with higher achieving peers. They should be offered appropriate non-National Curriculum programs of study…

This study compared the academic and social development of students who entered grade 1 very early (5:6 years or 5:7 years), in the mid range (5:8 to 6:3 years), and very late (6:4 years or older). The purpose of the study was to explore the hypothesis that the early grade 1 entrants would have continuing problems in both academic and social…

This booklet summarizes a government white paper outlining the development of Japanese education since the adoption of the new system following World War II. The report is organized into six main sections. The framework of the national educational system is introduced and charted in section 1, followed by a discussion of the expansion and…

English abstracts of fifty-five research projects commissioned by the National Board of Education in Finland between 1971 and 1973 are cataloged in this bulletin. The research reports are available from ten different centers listed in the front of the bulletin. The reports are listed consecutively based on an internal numbering system; abstracts…

A two-phase study examined the incidence and nature of dropout and progression from basic skills programs in England and Wales. During the first (retrospective) phase, data about 1,920 students' attendance/dropout patterns and reasons' for finishing/leaving their basic skills programs were obtained from 82 tutors (of more than 300 contacted) in 8…

Grade retention data were collected from the Campbell River, British Columbia schools to determine the prevalence of retention and its effect on school completion. An extensive survey was administered to 52 parents and 204 educators to assess attitudes towards grade retention. Individual interviews were conducted with eight teachers from various…

Participants in this survey were 33 countries from various continents, all members of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. In the document, education wastage in the elementary school is divided into 3 main components: (1) nonattendance, (2) repetition of grade, and (3) withdrawal from the school cycle. Year-grade…

This book, which is intended primarily for volunteers, tutors, and staff at Great Britain's further education colleges, adult education centers, and training schemes, provides introductory information on teaching basic skills to adults with learning difficulties. Among the topics discussed in chapter 1 are the following: literacy/numeracy needs,…

Children's orientation to school and various aspects related to children's transition to first and fourth grades are examined in this study. The primary strategy for gathering information was use of questionnaires administered to teachers, principals, and a stratified random sample of parents. Results are reported in terms of seven topics: the…