An ‘F’ for Social Promotion

by Michael Zwaagstra, M.Ed. and Dr. Rodney A. Clifton

Executive Summary

Social promotion is the practice of advancing students to the next grade even if they have not met the academic requirements of their current year. Generally, advocates of social promotion focus on the problems they associate with grade retention or repetition.

• The argument for social promotion rests primarily upon the claim that students kept behind end up worse off academically and emotionally than those socially promoted.

Despite the widespread use of social promotion in North American schools, there are good reasons to question this practice.

• Social promotion leads to graduates who lack the necessary knowledge and skills for academic success.

• Social promotion results in signifi cant ability disparities among students in individual classrooms.

• Many of the criticisms leveled at grade retention (i.e., higher dropout rates and damage to self-esteem) apply to social promotion.

• The negative effects of grade retention have been exaggerated.

• Social promotion has a negative effect on student motivation.

The practice of promoting students without suffi cient regard to academic ability or achievement needs to end. There are circumstances where students will benefi t from extra time in a particular grade or course.

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Author's Picture Michael Zwaagstra

has a B.Ed., a Post-Bachelor's Certificate in Education, and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Manitoba. During his studies, he received numerous academic awards, including the Dr. A. W. Hogg Undergraduate Scholarship, the Klieforth Prize in American History, the Schoolmasters' Wives Association Scholarship, and the Aaron Bricker Memorial Scholarship. At present he is a high school social studies teacher in Manitoba. He has written a number of policy papers on Canadian education for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg and the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Halifax. He is also a city councillor in Steinbach, Manitoba.

Feedback:

RE: An ‘F’ for Social Promotion — September 15, 2009
I couldn’t agree more! And thank you for publishing this important topic. These kids are not adequately prepared in public school for high school, and when they get there can’t even speak proper English, spell or multiply 9 x 7. Our Academic system in Canada is an embarrassment, as we are so far below the high standards set by so many other countries. I was about to call and make an appointment to have a meeting with the Principal of my grandson’s school on this very topic when I decided to look for any information I could find on the internet prior to meeting with her and this just substantiates what I’ve been telling them for the past 3 years. -- E-mail from Ontario
RE: An ‘F’ for Social Promotion — September 14, 2009
The flip side of social promotion and "putting in your time" is what it does to gifted children. I know of a child who was doing introductory calculus as he finished first grade. The school staff insisted he do second grade the next year with the same students and the same dumbed down curriculum. The attitude of the school was "we will catch up with him." They even blamed the parents for teaching him beyond their level. They wouldn't consider finding an environment where he could be challenged. They kept talking about socialization and insisted his intellectual development would take care of itself. We are throwing away both the top and bottom by forcing them to stay with their age peers. This is why the dropout rate is so high on both ends. -- E-mail from Washington