Failure in Grade: Do Retained Students Catch Up?

Abstract This study examines the phenomenon of retention in kindergarten through Grade 8 using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88). Data on 16,623 White, Black, and Hispanic public school students show that boys, minorities, and students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be retained. Two subanalyses of the data were conducted. In the first subanalysis, students who were retained in K through 3 were compared with those who were retained in Grades 4 through 8. The second analysis compared students retained in K through 8 with the total sample of nonretainees. Results suggest that the timing of retention is not uniformly associated with superior performance. Retention at any point is associated with less optimal academic and personal-social outcomes. Nonretained students demonstrate higher grades, test scores, and fewer academic, emotional, and behavioral problems than the retained group. Moreover, retention is associated with more negative outcomes for female, White, and higher SES students. In short, retention does not equalize outcomes even when retained students have been in school a year longer. Consistent with findings from numerous smaller, controlled studies, these results from a national sample strengthen arguments against retention policies. The importance of implementing alternative methods of assisting students at risk for academic failure is noted.