Social Promotion: A Dead End on the Road to Success

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SOCIAL PROMOTION: A Dead End on the Road to Success

SOCIAL PROMOTION: A Dead End on the Road to Success

Our education system faces a myriad of questions. One of which is, what is the main objective of our education system: to graduate students at a high academic standard, to graduate students who can interact socially, or to prepare students wholly in order to become contributing members of society? Parents, school districts, and the government all have their own ideas as to the primary purpose. The means (education) to the end (producing educated citizens) can take many roads or methods. One method goes down the road of social promotion. However, the unpopular practice of social promotion in our schools does not prepare our children academically. It promotes low standards, accepts mediocrity, and gives a false hope of success in a world which is unforgiving towards the uneducated.

When learning something new, one starts from the beginning and works ones way up to the next level until the objective has been mastered. This is a logical method. One cannot learn to read or write without learning the ABCs. The basics must come first. In our education system, social promotion focuses more on the social education of students rather than the academic education. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, “social promotion is the practice of promoting a student from one grade level to the next on the basis of age rather than academic achievement.” This practice disregards logic and promotes students with their peers rather than promoting the student when he/she achieves the learning objective. The only people truly affected by this practice are the ones passed on. For example, James is a ...

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...J., Kirby, S., & Mariano, L. (n.d.). Ending social promotion without leaving children behind: The case of New York City. rand.org. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG894.pdf

Mensinger/Tessier, B. (n.d.). Social promotion creates an undereducated workforce. Examiner. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from http://www.examiner.com/x-21279-SF- Secondary-Education-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Social-promotion-creates-an- undereducated-workforce

Social promotion. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ socialpromotion

Thompson, C. (n.d.). Retention and social promotion: Research and implications for policy. ERIC Digest. ERICDigests.Org - Providing full-text access to ERIC Digests. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/policy.htm

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