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)

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…

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…

Research identifies that a percentage of students are less successful than others in transitioning from Year 8 to Year 9. A positive support programme was developed to target some of these students and help them ease from the nurturing climate within the primary system into the multi-faceted secondary environment. (Contains 1 table.)

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…

The Test of Essential Learning and Literacy Skills (TELLS) has been administered to all Pennsylvania students in grades 3, 5, and 8 since 1985. An analysis of results from the 1,505 public elementary schools that served both third and fifth graders between 1986 and 1990 show that in 150 of these schools more than 50 percent of the students scored…

A search for patterns in grade retention rates across grades 1-12 to construct simulation research models is described in this paper. Aggregate data from Shepard and Smith (1989) on grade retention rates from 12 American states for the year 1979-80 and from 11 states for 1985-86 were examined for across-grade patterns, supplemented by Dade County…

Highlighting significant findings and discussing the debate between merit promotion and social promotion, this executive summary presents the main findings and concepts detailed in a larger report on student promotion standards in American education. It outlines the movement toward developing higher promotion standards and summarizes studies of…

Retention of pupils results in a need for additional teachers, facilities, and materials at a rate approximating the rate of retention. Retention is a more serious problem for the state, which needs to pay most of these increased costs. This paper reviews the research evidence to assess the cost-effectiveness of student retention policies.…

Thirty-two elementary schools in the District of Columbia participated in a study comparing the effectiveness of the district's midyear student promotion program with that of an annual promotion program. Sixteen schools used each form of promotion. Third grade reading and mathematics scores in the experimental group did not differ significantly…

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…

Research on the retention or promotion of failing students has been unable to demonstrate the superiority of either method, concludes the author of this review. Furthermore, research shows that neither method by itself solves the educational problems of low-achieving students, since both retained and promoted students continue to achieve at levels…

In an investigation authorized by a 1980 state law, the Legislative Education Study Committee of New Mexico, gathered testimony on student conduct and discipline issues in the local public schools. This report presents a summary of the committee's public hearings, in which parents, teachers, administrators, and community members testified.…