More Chicago Pupils Flunk Grade

By Catherine Gewertz

For six years, Chicago has conducted a high-profile crackdown on social promotion, touting it as a no-nonsense way to ensure that students literally make the grade. But now, the country's third-largest school district is flunking more students than ever, stirring new life into an old debate about whether retaining students is on balance harmful or helpful.

Figures released by the Chicago district last month show that of the 32,838 students in the 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades who were required to attend summer school this year, 13,308—nearly 41 percent—didn't qualify for promotion to the next grade. Most of those children failed the end-of-summer test; some never showed up to take it or never enrolled in summer school as required.

The numbers are the highest since the inception of the program in 1997 and represent a sharp upward...