Social promotion is the practice of passing students to the next level or grade simply to ensure their peers do not leave them behind, even though they don't meet the academic standards. Society practices social promotion to help both students with learning disabilities and low-performing students. Research suggests, however, that social promotion does not help a student, and cities such as New York, Detroit and Chicago have set up policies to stop this practice.
Peer Pressure as a Driving Force
Children want acceptance from their peers, and this peer pressure in the right conditions is a source of motivation to stay on track academically. Students work hard not only to improve themselves but to make sure they remain in the same classes as their friends. Research shows that students who continue developing relationships with their peers stay in school until graduation and reduce cases of dropping out.
Avoid Low Self-Esteem and Psychological Damage
A retained child goes through stigmatization from his friends and this often leads to low self-esteem and psychological damage. Social promotion helps a student gain self-esteem by avoiding alienation that arises from grade retention. A student feels left behind when retained at a certain grade as the friends move on to the next and they begin to view themselves as a failure. Social promotion protects the emotional and social adjustment of the poor-performing students.
Uneducated Workforce
Social promotion gives students the illusion that they are capable and have mastered the necessary skills. But 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. Social promotion helps with the self-esteem of the students in school but does nothing for the graduates who discover they have not mastered the basic skills such as English and math, which are essential.
Wrong Message
Social promotion aims to build up a student's confidence, but the message conveyed is different. The concept encourages low expectations. Passing a student through a grade when she has not met the required standards encourages her to accept failure. A student who notices his teachers pass him regardless of his grades stops trying. The student acquires "learned helplessness" -- that is, he believes he is not capable of achieving anything and thus needs to be socially promoted.
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