But students who repeated a grade in our study still seem to be at a higher risk of dropping out of school. They seem to be so far behind that the bounce they get that year doesn't fix the problem. We need to look at another way to deal with the issue. Neither social promotion nor repeating a grade is a very effective intervention to help struggling children. One of the obvious things to do is to keep them from falling behind.
Serious problems begin as early as the first grade.
Clearly for these kids the preparation for school is not serving them well. Pre-school programs can prepare readiness. And full-day kindergarten programs help. Those kinds of supplemental experiences need to be required on an ongoing basis. It's better to do summer school ahead of time.