Recent years have seen increased attention to academic responsibility and an emphasis on social advancement. The U.S. Department of Education (1999) stated, “Neither social promotion nor keeping children unaided is an effective strategy for improving learning” (p. 4). This push for change has raised the question: Does retention in the early years contribute to substantial academic development? “Effective teaching is important for all children and crucial for children at risk of reading failure, who may have more to learn in less time than their peers” (Musti-Rao & Cartledge, 2007, p.13). The wait-to-fail approach, which involves providing students with no special intervention until after a long period of academic failure, is not a viable option for students. The response to intervention model helps teachers anticipate potential learning problems for early intervention (Musti-Rao & Cartledge, 2007, p. 3). There is a wealth of research on these topics as school districts and teachers consider the well-being, including the educational success of their students. The researcher reviewed current literature that addressed the topics of academic retention and reading intervention during early elementary school. The literature review and articles varied between 1995 and 2013. These articles are composed of more than 50 studies, the results of which are compared and evaluated over a long period of time. Researchers examined students' permanent school records, documented their gender, socioeconomic status, retained or intervened grade, teacher-assigned grades, reading and math, and students' standardized test scores (Rust and Wallace, 1993). Grade-appropriate standardized testing... middle of article ......d growth: A meta-analysis of individual student assessment data. Psychology in Schools 49(4), 385-398. Retrieved from www.web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-portland.Silberglitt, B., Jimerson, S., & Burns, M. (2006). “Does the time of repetition make a difference? Examine the effects of early or late retention. Journal of Educational Psychology35(1), 134-141. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezpoxy.cu-portland.edu/ehost/delivery?sidU.S. Ministry of Education (1999). Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion: A Guide for Educators and State and Local Leaders. Washington, DC: US ​​Government Printing Office. Wilson, V. and Hughes, J. (2010). “Who is retained in the first year? A psychosocial perspective. »Elementary School Journal, 109(3), 251-266. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezpoxy.cu-portland.edu/ehost/delivery?sid