This study investigated the potential influences of administration context on the measurement of child skills. The Brief Observation of Social-Communication Change (BOSCC) was administered at two time points to preschool-aged children with autism in two contexts: (1) at school by trained research staff and (2) at home by the parent. Participants…

Requiring a failing student to repeat a grade is, of course, not a novel idea. The theory behind test-based promotion policies is that students who fail to demonstrate a sufficient understanding of their current grade's curriculum lack the prerequisite proficiency to fully engage in the following grade. This view recognizes the cumulative nature…

Using official school data, this study examined a sample of 447 at-risk students enrolled over a 10-year period in a youth-based mentoring program. The primary objective of the program was to ensure high school graduation. Participants were identified by indices of academic and school behaviors that rendered them less likely to graduate from high…

In a 4-year longitudinal study, the authors investigated effects of retention in first grade on children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors; social acceptance; and behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement. From a large multiethnic sample (n = 784) of children below the median on literacy at school entrance, 124 retained children…

Literature on retention focuses on both short term and long term outcomes for retained students. Short term outcomes typically include academic achievement, self-esteem issues, and occurrence of behavior problems. Long term outcomes include academic growth and persistence to graduation. Regardless of the focus and intent of the study, research on…

This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to investigate the effects of early motherhood on the academic and behavioral outcomes of these mothers' children. The NLSY follows 12,686 young people who were age 14-21 years in 1979 with annual or biannual interviews. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and poor…

Critics of Head Start contend that many programs spend too much money on programs extraneous to children. On the other hand, Head Start advocates argue that the families of severely disadvantaged children need a broad range of services. Given the available evidence, it has been impossible to assess the validity of these claims. In this study, we…

Identified the effects of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and basic skills performance on grade failure, course failure, scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, and attendance of middle school students placed in behavioral classrooms. Computerized data from two schools indicated that SES and basic skills performance…