Social Promotion In Education

Social Promotion in Education In the United States, there have been many calls to change the effectiveness of the educational system. From a Common Core curriculum to standardized testing, the goal has been to make sure that no child is left behind. Some school districts have taken this philosophy and created a system known as ‘social promotion.’ (Gaille) Society practices social promotion to help both students with learning disabilities and low-performing students. However, research suggests that social promotion does not help a student, and cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and New York have set up policies to stop this practice altogether. Social promotion is the opposite of grade retention; either way, the student failed to meet academic standards. Retention in grade is common, with about a third of all students retained at least one time prior to high school. This topic has been discussed for many years now as the nation’s focus has been on education reform. In the call to forbid social promotion, many policy makers believed that unless poorly achieving students are faced with the prospect of flunking
Social promotion gives students the illusion that they are capable and have mastered the necessary skills. Furthermore, students who pass through school without being held to academic requirements may find themselves unable to perform their expected duties when they enter the workforce. Boosting their self-esteem in school is great but does nothing for the graduates who discover they have not mastered the necessary skills such as English and Math. This concept fosters low expectations, and encourages them to accept failure. If a student notices their teachers allow passage regardless of their grades, they stop trying altogether. In the past 15 years, 15 states have established specific standards for grade promotion, and others are planning such policies.