How will climate change impact education since near-universal primary education has been achieved in many developing countries? We begin to answer this by studying a recent severe drought in Southern Africa. Using data from a large cluster-randomized control trial involving girls and satellite data measuring drought intensity, we find that drought…

We characterize the extent to which Black-White gaps for multiple educational outcomes are linked across school districts in the United States. Gaps in disciplinary action, grade-level retention, classification into special education and Gifted and Talented, and Advanced Placement course-taking are large in magnitude and correlated. Racial…

We examine the association between grade retention and the number of same-grade friendships. Moreover, we investigate the effect of a school's proportion of retained students on these friendships and the moderating effect of this school characteristic on the relationship between retention and the number of same-grade friendships. Multilevel…

Higher rates of school switching by students contribute to achievement disparities and are typically theorized as driven by attributes of individual pupils or families. In contrast the neoclassical-economic account postulates that switching is necessary for competition among schools. We argue that both frames fail to capture social-referential and…

Using eight waves of longitudinal data on a statewide kindergarten cohort of English learners (ELs), I examined ELs' tenure in language-learning programs and their academic performance following reclassification as fluent English proficient. I employed discrete-time survival analysis to estimate the average time to and grade of reclassification…

Examined the prevalence of delay of kindergarten entry (academic redshirting) by examining records of more than 8,000 Wisconsin students. Results show that 7% of the sample had delayed school entry and that these students were primarily boys with birth dates just before the entrance cutoff. Achievement of redshirted students was comparable to that…

Uses event-history analysis to explore whether and how grade retention influenced graduation outcomes for a cohort of 707 youths from an urban school system. Repeating a grade from kindergarten to grade 6 was associated with an increase in the odds of dropping out. Explores the impact of being over age for grade. (SLD)

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 with hierarchical linear modeling, this study identified individual-level and school-level variables influencing the decision to drop out of middle school. At the individual level, grade retention is the single most powerful predictor. (SLD)

Issues concerning teachers' beliefs and practices about retention in kindergarten were explored in a study of 40 kindergarten teachers in one district. Teachers' beliefs and practices were found to be related. Teachers' endorsement of retention differed from extant propositional knowledge and from perceptions of other interested groups. (SLD)

Aggregate data on grade-retention rates for grades 1 through 12 from 12 American states for 1979-80 and 11 for 1985-86 were examined for across-grade patterns. A negative growth exponential model appears to capture a basic underlying pattern of grade retention rates. (SLD)

Beliefs about retention in kindergarten through grade 7 of 135 regular, special education, and special area elementary school teachers were studied through questionnaires and interviews. Teachers often believe that retention is appropriate in some circumstances, but teacher beliefs about retention are complex. (SLD)

Explores the causal nature of the association between grade repetition and later adolescent problem behaviors for 197 retained and 204 promoted African-American sixth and seventh graders in two urban middle schools. Regression analyses imply that retention reduced rebellious behavior in school and increased attachment to school. (SLD)

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 roles of cognitive, perceptual, visual-motor, behavioral, achievement, and demographic factors in nonpromotion at kindergarten were examined for 34 nonpromoted and 34 promoted kindergarten children. Retained children were more likely to be young, male, and of lower socioeconomic status. Implications for interventions to assist retained…

This study investigated the changing achievement relationships among Black and White students based on ages at entry into first grade. The data indicated that, for both groups, the significantly higher achievement of the oldest students at age 9 disappeared by age 17. (Author/BW)