Grade retention has been the de facto policy for children with academic difficulties in many Latin American countries [Schiefelbein, E., & Wolff, L. (1992). "Repetition and inadequate achievement in Latin America's primary schools: a review of magnitudes, causes, relationships, and strategies." Washington, DC: World Bank.]. In Costa…

A study begun in a Texas school district in 1988 focused on families of Mexican origin, studying characteristics of their schools and studying what the families and schools did or did not do to promote graduation from high school. The sample of 100 15-year-olds labeled as "at risk" was fairly typical of Latino students in the school…

This 10-year study compared the achievement of 3 samples of students designated at-risk for school failure and 1 sample deemed not at risk, and followed a transitional first-grade school readiness program (SRP) population from prekindergarten through eighth grade to identify contextual factors associated with student progress. At-risk samples were…

Over the past 10 years, kindergarten classes have escalated their academic demands in order to prepare children to begin first grade. In tandem with curricular changes, many parents have elected to "hold out" their children from first grade for an additional year, and increasingly, schools are using kindergarten retention in response to…

Rate of retention in grade is a measure of the number of students who repeat the grade they were in the year before. This report of retention rates is produced annually for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, but contains information produced after the beginning of the school year and data produced at the end of the school year…

The study reported here is an analysis of 100 seventh graders who were part of a 1989 and 1991 follow-up Phi Delta Kappa study on high risk students enrolled in general education. In 1989, 26 of the 100 students were identified as at risk. Approximately 39% of the at-risk students were identified as eligible for special education, the vast…

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…

The cohort method was used to compute graduation and dropout rates for 82,935 New York City public high school students who entered grade 9 in 1984 and were expected to graduate in June 1988. Separate studies were conducted for the following: (1) a 1-year follow-up of the Class of 1987; (2) a 2-year follow-up of the Class of 1986; (3) a…

A study of a random sample of 220 male inmates at New York State's Sing Sing Correctional Facility was conducted in the summer of 1989. Questionnaires were distributed directly to the inmates. A questionnaire in Spanish was administered when appropriate. It was found that 79 percent were high school dropouts, including 78 percent of the black…

The effectiveness of a state-mandated set of at-risk criteria to predict which students are likely to become dropouts is evaluated in this study of the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Descriptions of the district information delivery system, state criteria, and criteria operationalization are provided. Discriminant function analysis…

This document provides the final summary report of Tennessee's primary school class size study, called Project STAR. Sections of the report concern: (1) background; (2) organization to conduct the study; (3) sample selection; (4) data collection plan and data base; (5) general operating guidelines; (6) teacher orientation; (7) study design; (8)…

If present trends in family life and education continue into the next decade, most children under five will spend substantial proportions of their early years in various types of early childhood programs, most five- to six-year-olds will attend all-day kindergarten, and during their elementary school years they will spend much of their time before…

The cohort method was used to compute graduation and dropout rates for 81,847 New York City public high school students who entered grade 9 in 1983-84 and were expected to graduate in June, 1987. Separate studies were conducted for the following: (1) self-contained special education classes whose students were born in 1969 (Special Education Class…

The progress of 243 students repeating first grade in 1981-82 was compared with matched low achievers in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. Mean achievement scores were obtained for each year between spring 1981 and spring 1986 for the two groups and compared to the national average. Regression analyses were used to compare the…

The Promotional Gates Program was initiated in the New York City Public Schools in order to set and maintain citywide curriculum and performance standards, identify students unable to meet the minimum standards, and provide remedial instruction. Under this program, the promotional policy sets "gates" at grades 4 and 7; students unable to…