The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and retention on student achievement. Increasing attention has been paid to the quality of education in the United States as international reports compare the academic achievement of students in this country with others in the world. Many states are basing promotion of students on state assessments. High stakes testing has lead to higher retention rates in several states. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that students who are retained do not drop out of school and therefore get left behind
