Running head: Can Retention Be Good for a Student?

Can Retention Be Good for a Student? Ammi L. Davis AED/200 April 25, 2010 Dr. Deborah Stevens

Can Retention Be Good for a Student? Can Retention Be Good for a Student? "Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no crime can

destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can enslave. At home, a friend, abroad, an introduction, in solitude a solace and in society an ornament. It chastens vice, it guides virtue, it gives at once grace and government to genius. Without it, what is man? A splendid slave, a reasoning savage" Joseph Addison (2010). Who are we to deny a student the right to learn, when in fact we would be doing just that if we forced a child to continue on under educated. Some schools do not offer summer school so the only other option would be retention. If that is the only other option, is it justified that we retain the student or is it justified that we rob them of the education they so deserve before they move on to more challenging situations? Acknowledged arguments from the opposing side Even though the good outweigh the bad when it comes time to retain a student, one must look at all sides of the argument making sure that it is indeed in the best interest of the student. When a parent is faced with having to retain their child there are many aspects to consider. According to Lange (2008), "for most children, repeating a grade in school has no positive benefit and often results in serious long-term damage to students academic achievement and social development (Grade Level Retention, para. 2). Not only do educators worry about the academic achievement and social development of a retained student they also worry about the effect of damaging results of future learning (Lange, 2008). One of the many factors which could be affected by retaining a student is the effect of the post school life, where in fact the child suffers not being able to maintain a job, suffers from behavioral problems, as well as

Can Retention Be Good for a Student?

having problems that end them in jail or worse. Retaining a child could have long term affects that could cause more problems than if the child were never held back. Many children who were retained in elementary school were retained because they were deemed immature for their age, had poor reading skills or their birthdays were close to the cutoff dates, some were even held back to give them an edge is sport programs such as football. Regardless of the reasons of holding a child back there are none that outweighs the potential risks that follows when they are older. Though the affects of retention do not commonly affect the children until later in life the repercussions of retention could be devastating for them, lack of self esteem is a definite result of being held back, when children ask why the student is older or were they held back the student feels embarrassed and ashamed which lowers his self esteem greatly and the child will have more difficulties with peer relationships. The results of retention usually are exposed during the middle school years of their education and tend to grow worse through high school. In middle school children who are retained have a greater chance of acting out violently and behavioral issues such as smoking and drinking as well as early sexual activity. When children who were retained advance to high school the situation only becomes worse many children who were retained in earlier years have much of the same unhealthy behavior risks as they did in elementary school as well as driving while intoxicated, drug use as well as suicidal behaviors. Children that have been retained are at greater risk for being unemployed or be in prison than children who were not retained. Throughout all of their educational experiences children that were retained commonly had worse academic performances than those children who were not retained. Retention does not help children succeed, it does the opposite. Low self

Can Retention Be Good for a Student?

esteem is the only affect retention brings and that low self esteem becomes disastrous for the child later in life as they turn to closure, drugs, sex and violence as ways of acting out. There are many other ways to help children to succeed other than retention such as classes that allow students to advance at their own pace, tutoring and individual instruction and modifications in instruction, which allows for the child to have things explained to them differently so they are able to understand. Extended day and summer school programs can also be beneficial to a child as well as smaller classes. All these are viable alternatives to retention and all have much better long term affects than retention (Gale, 2006). Refute them with research from the library. Although many educators can look at retaining a student and think that it is a bad thing, there are the positive aspects of it as well. For example, if a child starts school and is on the young end of the age group and is having not only academic problems but social problems as well and is at a disadvantage if moved forward then why would a responsible educator move that child forward? According to Gwendolyn Malone, a fifthgrade teacher in rural Clarke County, Virginia, Social promotion set this child up for repeated failure, low self-esteem, and a high risk of becoming a drop-out statistic. Retention might have prepared this child for academic success. For most struggling children, retention provides the opportunity to refresh, relearn, and acquire new skills that help them move to the next grade level. Most important, if framed properly, retention gives students self-confidence and an I can do this attitude thats likely to boost their academic achievement for years to come (Pearson Education, Inc. 2005). Although there is not much in the way of the pros for retaining a student, this author is

Can Retention Be Good for a Student?

passionate about the positives of it having experienced the benefits of retention in the second grade. There are social setbacks from being retained but there are educational setbacks if a student is not retained. The student struggles through school, is picked on because he or she is unable to read, write, or keep up with his or her peers in other academics. Each student is different and so is the reasoning behind the need for retention so it must be taken case by case and used as a last resort. However there are other ways around retention but only if it is budgeted by the school district. Special intervention classes are one of the main ways to prevent students from being held back. These intervention classes can consist of reading readiness, mathematics, and sometimes even help with preparing for tests. Another way to go around retention is summer school but that is only if the school district has the funds budgeted for it. If there are no funds then there is no summer school, in which case a child is most likely held back instead of moved forward. Conclusion All students learn differently and at different paces. Who are we, as the deciding factor and community, to say that the students are ready to move on to the next grade if in fact they are not? When this author was a second grader, the second grade teacher didnt care. The author was not able to read, write, or do second grade math. The authors mom fought to hold the author back and because of that the author was able to catch up with her peers and graduate as an honor student from high school and now is seeking an education to become an educator hoping to be an advocate for those who need that little bit of extra help during the school year. Yes, the author caught up quickly by seventh grade and because of that was able to skip eighth grade. Does the author

Can Retention Be Good for a Student?

think that retention should be used freely? No, she does not. The author feels that the community as a whole should always have the option though, as parents, and as teachers to be able to sit down and discuss what is in the best interest of the student in every particular case.

Can Retention Be Good for a Student? References

Addison, J. (2010). Quote World. QuoteWorld.org. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/11283 Davidson, T. (2006). Retention in School. In K. Krapp & J. Wilson (Eds.)The Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence, (Vol. 3). (pp. 1573-1575) Detroit: Gale Retrieved April 25, 2010, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=upho enix Johnson, J. A., Musial, D., Hall, G. E., Gollnick, D. M., & Dupuis, V. L. (2005). Introduction to the Foundations of American Education, Thirteenth Edition. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e- Text]. Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from Axia College, AED200 website. Lange, R. R. (2008). The Truth About Grade Level Retention. Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform, Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://www.fcarweb.org/grade_level_retention.htm