Social promotion and retention have both been used in education as a way to help lower-achieving students catch up to their peers. While both strategies are used with good intentions, research has shown that neither actually helps a student succeed in their educational career. This leaves the question of whether neither social promotion nor retention is the correct answer, so what is the best answer for a lower achieving student who is not ready for the next grade level. “Social promotion is the practice of promoting students to the next grade even if they have not acquired the minimum skills required for that grade” (Aldridge, 2014). This practice can be a problem not only for students, but also for teachers and parents. When professors have discovered that they have to lower their standards to assist students who are not prepared for college work. In the business world, funds can be used to re-educate students who lack the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. Social promotion has been a widespread practice that is now being questioned and eliminated by many school districts. “Districts are implementing policies to eliminate or severely limit the practice of SES due to short- and long-term negative effects… while providing manageable, cost-effective programs that promote positive student outcomes” (Alridge, 2014) . Retention is the practice of giving a student the gift of time with the hope that academic improvements will occur during the year the student is retained. “Retention rates have increased dramatically with the recent school reform movement that has emphasized academic performance, placement tests to determine promotion or retention, and the end of social promotion.” (NASP). The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) states that the highest retention rates are found among the poor, minorities and inner-city youth. Those at highest risk of retention are black or Hispanic males, have late birthdays and delayed development, live in poverty or single-parent families, change schools frequently, or are absent. low-achieving students” (NASP). However, there are evidence-based alternatives to grade retention and social promotion. “Recent research and practice indicates that alternative strategies that target the root causes of low achievement offer real hope for helping all students succeed” (Johnson). Some examples of effective alternative strategies to social promotion and maintenance are intervening early in a child's educational career, increasing parental involvement, intensifying learning opportunities, providing meaningful professional development opportunities for ensure highly trained and qualified teachers, student assessment in a way that provides accurate and meaningful data to teachers, and expand learning options through differentiation