Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 7, 155-174 (1992) Doing Harm by Doing Good: latrogenic Effects of Early Childhood Enrollment and Promotion Policies Samuel I. Meisels The University of Michigan Recent national concerns about the educational achievement of U.S. students have resulted in an increased emphasis on readiness for school and, in combination with the pervasive effects of mandated standardized testing, have led to several enrollment and promotion practices that have negative consequences for young children. This paper examines the rationale and research data about four of these practices: raising the age at entry, retention in grade, extra-year and transition programs, and parental hold- ing out from kindergarten. The problematic effects of these phenomena are identified, and their role in establishing a "four-tiered kindergarten" is described. An alternative approach to conceptualizing readiness that is free of these negative effects is presented. Can kids flunk kindergarten ? Yes, sir--especially where the law mandates tests for first grade. In this way, Time magazine summarized the thoughts of many after the state of Georgia enacted a law requiring that children pass a test at the end of kindergarten in order to gain entry to first grade (Bowen, 1988). Although testing practices in Georgia have changed substantially since 1988 (Rogers & Blount, 1990), attention to the issues of failure in kindergarten and pres- sures placed on young children as they begin school has grown. The Wall Street Journal printed a front-page story below the headline, "Tense Tots," claiming that some schools are so pressured that children are becoming This research was supported in part by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. I am grateful to SylviaJones for thoughts about defining readiness, to Fong-ruey Liaw for assistance with analyzingthe NELS:88data, and to Dorothy Steele for commentson an earlier version of the article. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Samuel J. Meisels, University of Michigan, School of Education, 610 E. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0406. 155