For many years, the conventional wisdom in the field was that grade retention was a bad idea. A 1997 opinion piece in "Education Week" titled "Grade retention doesn't work" reflected the prevailing sentiment in the education community and the available research evidence at that time: retained students performed worse than their…

Overall, Twilight credit recovery program student outcomes were positive during 2020-2021. The middle school students who participated in Twilight had a 60% success rate and high school students who participated in Twilight had a 77% success rate. In addition, 81% of the 12th graders who participated in Twilight graduated from high school. Lastly,…

"Green Dot Public Schools" is a nonprofit organization that operates more than 20 public charter middle and high schools in California, Tennessee, and Washington. The "Green Dot Public Schools" model emphasizes high quality teaching, strong school leadership, a curriculum that prepares students for college, and partnerships…

We use a regression discontinuity strategy to produce causal estimates for the effect of remediation under Florida's test-based promotion policy on multiple outcomes for up to five years after the intervention. Students subjected to the policy were retained in the third grade, were required to be assigned to a high-quality teacher during the…

In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Kindergarten Readiness Act into law, which changed the kindergarten entry age so that children must turn 5 by September instead of December to enroll. The new grade level was put into place to promote school readiness for California's youngest learners. It also established a new grade…

As part of an effort to reduce the dropout rate in New York City public schools, a new project called Replicating Exemplary Holding Power Programs was created in June, 1983. Five schools participated as "demonstrators" because they were judged to have noteworthy holding power programs. Five additional "buddy" schools were…

This evaluation report examines research on kindergarten programs and practices for children who are at risk of school failure. Programs which present evidence of positive effects and which can be replicated at other sites are identified and discussed. A proposal is made for the development of a data base which gathers information on instruction…

This report summarizes results from the 2007 Austin Independent School District summer school program at those Title I schools that provided summer services to students who did not attend other district summer school programs.

The Durham Public Schools Communities in Schools (CIS) Academy provides a student-centered environment that encourages high-risk students to remain in school and get back on track for graduation. Program operations began in January 1995. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the first semester of operations (the second semester of…

The District of Columbia's Student Progress Plan (SPP) was designed as the delivery system for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), and regulates student promotions based on skill attainment and mastery of the instructional objectives. An evaluation of SPP was conducted in the second semester of school year 1985-86, and its findings are…

Are students who attend full-day kindergarten better prepared for future academic success than their peers who attend half-day kindergarten programs? Much of the current research on full-day kindergarten programs suggests they are. Researchers cite gains such as increased academic achievement, lower grade retention rates, improved attendance, and…

A study was conducted to assess the services provided by instructional aides, Chapter I teaching aides and teaching assistants, educational therapy aides (special education), and attendance aides in the District of Columbia public schools, 1982-83. Teachers and principals rated very highly the value of the paraprofessional services. Teachers…

In 1980, the New York City Board of Education set reading standards that fourth- and seventh-grade students were required to achieve before being promoted. The Gates Program was established to provide remedial education to those students failing to meet the standards. A total of 15,705 students in the two grades failed to meet the standards in…

City-wide all-day kindergarten was instituted in the New York City public schools in the l983-84 school year. Follow-up studies of two evaluations of all-day kindergarten, a prospective study and a retrospective study, were undertaken to examine whether enrollment in all-day kindergarten (ADK) resulted in higher third-grade academic achievement…

This monograph reviews pertinent research and issues concerning grade retention in an effort to understand the implications for retention and promotion policies, especially in elementary schools. The monograph discusses 11 topics, including: (1) the historical context of retention and promotion; (2) the link between grade retention and dropouts;…