ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at retention and social promotion, and at ways to get around these twin obstacles. Public educators, students, and parents alike find retention and social promotion policies bewildering. There are two keys to overcoming the issues surrounding retention and social promotion. The first is that the buckles that currently confine students must be loosened. The second key is support. One of the fundamental supports is mentorship. Social promotion is the option that allows otherwise "failing" children to move on to the next grade level. Replacing social promotion with retention did not address the paramount and critical objective of the system, which was to increase learning among more students. Prominent developmental psychologist Erik Erikson examined identity development, and his research, which has ready application to retention and social promotion policies, sheds considerable light on the issues. The research is clear: holding children back a grade has little effect on their academic achievement and is detrimental to their social lives.
