Center X Communications Center X Quarterly Retention vs. President Clinton and a good many other political leaders have made opposition to social promotion a cornerstone of their education initiatives.
Overwhelming evidence shows that grade retention has negative effects for students.
Rarely has social science research been so consistent about the effects of any educational practice. Arguing against social promotion may be politically popular, but retention simply doesn't work. No sensible person advocates social promotion as it is currently being framed - simply passing incompetent students on to the next grade. Most important, nearly everyone cautions against simplistic, formulaic choices between the poles of pass or repeat. Social promotion and retention both try to remedy problems after they've occurred, rather than preventing them or nipping them in the bud.