The two traditional ways of dealing with students' inabilities to read--holding them back or passing them on to the next teacher--were rejected by one Delaware district anxious to improve its first-graders' reading skills. Teachers suggested involving parents, providing more reading time, and using teacher aides more effectively. A successful…

Although the New York State reading assessment was aimed at identifying children with extra educational needs, one study shows that the current high-stakes nature of the tests has distorted that intent. Rather than rewarding instructional quality, state accountability profiles often reward questionable instructional practices such as retention in…

Although research indicates that retention has little educational value for children, the retention process and rate continue to escalate. Retention consequences are devastating and pervasive. The paper discusses decisions regarding retention and notes positive alternatives (e.g., parental involvement, modifications in instructional practices and…

Professionals must teach and operate schools in the best interests of students, using their knowledge to guide their efforts. This article summarizes what educators know about teaching and learning, teachers and work conditions, and school improvement. Decentralization, deregulation, and empowerment will prevail only by creating "elite"…

Discusses the practice of retaining children in grade, and presents evidence against the procedure. Posits that failing children only increases the likelihood that they will perform poorly in school, develop poor self-concepts, and eventually drop out of school. Retention also disproportionately affects poor and minority children, males, and…

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)

Investigated the occurrence of grade retention across all socioeconomic classes in urban and suburban populations, focusing on the effects of alcohol abuse, school suspension, violence, and lack of discipline in the home. Surveys of 243 African-American adolescent boys indicated that there was a positive association between number of suspensions…

Considers the problems of teaching children at widely differing stages of development in the same class. Compares European practices of holding back slow developers with the English practice of strict age placement. Suggests that European methods reduce the need for individual instruction and increase the learning of the class as a whole. (DSK)

This paper investigates the effects of early motherhood on academic and behavioral outcomes for children born to early child bearers using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Prebirth individual and family background factors of teen mothers accounted for early motherhood's strong negative correlation with children's test scores…

In the spring of 1995, the Chicago Public School system, the nation's third largest and, arguably, one of the most troubled, made national headlines when it was taken over by Mayor Richard M. Daley, then starting his third term and the most popular mayor since his father, Richard J. Daley, held the office for 21 years. By far the biggest reform…

Children?s experiences prior to kindergarten entry are correlated with degree of cognitive development and school readiness as measured by standardized assessments of cognitive and linguistic performance. Children from economically poor and undereducated families are at elevated risk for lack of school readiness due to less knowledge and…

Using four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography, arm and hand movements toward the face were examined in 27 human fetuses at 19 to 35 weeks of gestation, thereby enabling the continuous monitoring of their faces and other surface features such as the extremities. More than half of the observed arm movements resulted in the hand touching the mouth…

This paper shows that some individuals with Down syndrome are capable of producing, imitating (repeating) and comprehending passive sentences, even though group studies indicate that this is not the norm. Experimental tests of elicited production, repetition and comprehension of passive and active sentences applied in ten adolescents with Down…

A widely held perception is that public schools are failing American children and society. Some research indicates that 9th-graders are more at risk for school failure than are students in other grades. This paper presents findings of a study that examined 9th-graders in the Durham Public School System (North Carolina) who were enrolled in a Basic…

A survey examined the grade retention of learning disabled students in North Dakota and parental aspirations for these students at the postsecondary level. Questionnaires were completed by 251 parents of learning disabled students in grades K-12 in 3 North Dakota regional consortia for special education services. About half reported that their…