Student Retention Benefits

Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated that “...the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.” Schools are constantly trying to integrate better ways to help students academically, but sometimes this leads to unintentional consequences. Grade retention is often implemented with the objective of ensuring students succeed so they would have a future full of opportunities. However, researchers have found holding students back does more harm than good. At risk students should not be held back: retention hinders long-term academic success, impacts students’ socialization negatively, and increases the financial burden of schools and society.

To begin with, retention hinders long-term academic success. A study done in 2014

According to the article ¨Children Who Repeated a Grade,¨ researchers found that some retained students showed poorer social adjustment, frequent negative attitudes toward school, behavioral problems, lower achievement, and decreased consistency of school attendance than non-retained students. A similar study done by Megan Andrew, a Notre Dame sociologist, pointed out that some retained students suffer a loss of confidence. Based on her research, the sociologist stated that being held back is potentially one of the biggest negative circumstances in a child's life. Andrew described that students rate being retained a grade is almost as detrimental as losing a parent (Barshay). The National Association of School Psychologists(NASP) also found that some retained students experience low self-esteem and decreased school attendance, which are both factors in producing increased high school dropout rates. Students without a diploma are more likely to face employment challenges that are necessary for self-sufficiency. In addition, retained students are more likely to experience mental problems, criminal activities, and chemical abuse (Anderson). Overall, students who are retained experience issues with

Brian Jacob, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and education professor at the University of Michigan, found that retention could cost a school district around $10,000 per student (Jacob). In 2016, only 45% of Michigan third-graders scored at or above proficiency level in reading (Jacob). If the state had enacted a law requiring third graders to pass a mandatory reading test before they moved up to fourth grade, around 60,000 students would have been held back, causing the state more than a half billion dollars (Jacob). Not only is retention costly to a district, it is also a financial burden to society. The article “Pass or Fail: The Real Cost of Student Retention” states that some retained students have a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school, which means that they are more likely to acquire lower earnings in the future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an average high school dropout makes around $20,241 annually, which is $10,386 less than a high school graduate (“By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School”). With lower annual earnings, high school dropouts pay less taxes and may rely on social services (“Pass or Fail: The Real Cost of Student