Grade Retention

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Problem Background
Grade retention, also known as grade repetition, is defined as “repeating an academic year of school” and is considered to be “the opposite of social promotion, in which children continue with their age peers regardless of academic performance” (Advameg, Inc., 2014). There have been several studies on the effects of grade retention, along with studies that link grade retention to high school dropout rates; however, the studies also indicate that grade retention is not the only cause for high school dropouts and dropping out of school is not the only effect of grade retention.
Both grade retention and social promotion lie on opposite ends of the spectrum and appear to have the same goal which is possibly flawed logically: …show more content…

Daley, the then mayor of Chicago, instituted a ban on social promotion. This ban led to a large number of students being held back. It was reported in 2011 that the principal of Shoop Elementary School in Chicago, Lisa Moreno, used the threat of social promotion to encourage students and their parents to take a more serious approach to school and their education. This method worked to an extent as retention rates decreased, however, it was found that students weren’t giving their best; they were doing the bare minimum to be promoted with their peers. Principal Moreno expressed concern that her students should not just do better because they are afraid to be retained; instead, they should do better because they want to succeed. Principal Moreno is quoted as saying, “I want them to be thinking about high school and college and do what they need to do so that these opportunities are there for them. I don’t want a parent coming in upset because their child might not be able to go through 8th-grade graduation. It should not be their only graduation. There should be high school and then college, at least once (Karp, …show more content…

The study was conducted to add to the existing body of research on the topic of grade retention as well as provide ideas as to what can be done for students who are falling behind

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