America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is where every man is free to do as he wishes. It is the land of opportunity, prosperity, and justice for all. If America is all of these things, then what is the excuse for the state of her public education system? In comparison with other western nations, America's public education system is poor. There is no argument about that. There are many things which factor into this assessment, including the lack of funding, the lack of teachers, the lack of material, and the lack of student motivation. Is the quality of American education not directly linked with the quality of future American life? Social Promotion is education's curse.

Every year, High School seniors are awarded a diploma of graduation. This is to certify that these graduates have satisfactorily completed a twelve step course of study specifically designed to provide a well rounded education. However, in 1996

Various links found from the "Whitehouse" government links page including:

, 19.6% of graduates had at one point or another failed one of these twelve steps. If the system is designed correctly, how can it allow for failure? Many failing students are allowed to continue onto the next level because of an unwritten policy of social promotion. Social promotion is a term used to describe situations when a student is advanced to the next grade due to factors other than academic achievement. Such factors include age, physical size, and social or emotional considerations. Social promotion is rarely implemented in levels above the sixth grade. It is very commonly used in levels one through four.

3. Harvard Education Letter. www.edletter.org/past/issues/1999-jf/retention.shtml

1. ASCA Online www.asca.org/publications/social_promotion/

Social Promotion must be ended in our schools. If America's goal is to have a society in which everyone has the opportunity reach their life

Some common words found in the essay are:
Social Promotion, Randolph Ward, Curse America, Education Letter, social promotion, National Center, ASCA Online, public education system, education system, public education, Educators Association, social promotion education's, promotion education's curse, giving student permission, grade level, onto level, promotion education's, student permission, education's curse, giving student,
Approximate Word count = 662
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)