Across the country, grade promotion is tied increasingly to performance on standardized tests. One concern about such policies is that they might increase dropout rates. Policy proponents counter that adverse effects of grade retention should be more than offset by beneficial effects from rising achievement. Using data from Chicago, this study…

This report examines baccalaureate student graduation, time-to-degree, and retention at Illinois state universities and presents data on these issues in 21 tables. The analysis notes that a little more than half of all public university first-time freshmen earn a bachelor's degree and that less than 3 percent of freshmen complete their degrees in…