Preface to the second edition
1. Grade retention: lingering questions
2. Research on grade repetition: strong opinions, weak evidence
3. Retainees in the 'beginning school study'
4. Children's pathways through the elementary and middle school years: retention+
5. Characteristics and competencies of repeaters: who is held back?
6. Achievement scores before and after retention
7. Adjusted achievement comparisons: the need for controlled comparisons and the multiple-regression approach
8. Academic performance as judged by teachers: report card marks before and after retention
9. The stigma of retention
10. Retention in the broader context of elementary and middle school tracking
11. Dropout in relation to grade retention
12. The retention puzzle: problem, solution, or signal?
Appendix: authors meet critics, belatedly.
