Education Professor Argues Against Third-Grade Retention

In an op-ed in the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader (6/3), Thomas R. Guskey, professor of education at the University of Kentucky, writes that "on the surface," it seems logical to "retain students at the end of third grade who have not met expected learning goals." Theoretically, students could make academic gains during the extra year in third grade, but "the problem is that nearly all the research on retention shows it doesn't work that way. From studies dating back to the early 1980s, one point is clear: Retention is not effective in producing significant gains in student achievement or in having lasting benefits for struggling students. In fact, retention does more harm than good." Moreover, students who are retained are more likely to drop out of school, tend to have lower academic achievement, and "display more discipline problems."