INTERACCIÓN TRABAJO-FAMILIA CUESTIONARIO SWING

The participants’ views regarding retention varied greatly, as did their knowledge of the relevant research. The teachers had little or no research knowledge to inform their beliefs, and there was a strong belief that retention only be used as last resort; the administrators strongly believed that retention should not be used unless a parent requested it. The two administrators, the school psychologist, and the special education teacher were aware of the research about retention, while the three teachers were not aware of what current research says about the implications of retaining a student. Educators appeared to ignore research and to retain students based on their personal beliefs as teachers. In each of the teachers’ interviews, I never heard “research says . . .” Instead, I heard “I believe . . .” or “I think . . .”

Abbey had “heard” that students in third grade above should not be retained, but she had not read anything specifically. Still using the word “believe,” she focused on the notion that she never thought of retention as a solution when discussing students who were struggling either behaviorally or academically with her colleagues. She believed that the reason that she did not retain students was because it was uncommon to retain upper elementary school students. She continued to note that students in kindergarten or in first or second grade would have to have “severe limitations to their learning and to show drastic academic concerns” before being considered for retention.

On the other hand, Grace and Olivia believed that it was acceptable to retain a child in prior to third grade, especially in kindergarten. They both noted that retention should be avoided if a child’s concerns were solely academic, and if the student was showing some gains, even if they are minimal; in such cases, effective teaching and planning needed to take place, not

retention. They believed that the student needed to have adequate and effective modifications, accommodations, and support during the following year.

Gayle, the special education teacher, noted in a highly generalized statement, “Retention may be beneficial if numerous factors can come together.” I asked her to further explain what she meant by “numerous factors.” Her follow-up responses were still vague, and they focused on the word “believe” rather than on what she “knows” to be true based on research.

The two administrators, Jamie and Cody, both noted that their beliefs were well known throughout their school and that it was understood that any retention outside of a parent’s request needed to have sufficient documentation to support it. Cody clarified his position by saying that the only time he would retain a student would be when the parents wanted it, but he would strongly discourage requests from his staff by providing his professional expertise on the negative effects of retention.

All three teachers, who each had experience at a variety of grade levels, believed that academic performance played a role when considering whether or not to retain a student. Abbey, who was currently teaching fourth grade, believed that retaining a child in the upper grades might not be the best practice. However, when she had a student who was not making academic gains as a fourth grader, and who was the lowest achieving student in all of her math and reading groups, she considered retention. Not only was this student not making adequate academic progress compared to her peers, but she also had no drive or will to apply to her schoolwork. Olivia, who was teaching second grade at the time, believed that if a student was very young for their class, then retention might allow them time to develop some maturity to handle school better. She also believed that retention should only happen in kindergarten. All of the

teachers, and administrators—supported the decision and worked together as a team to support the needs of the student during the following year.

Participants stated that teachers lacked the time, resources, and support to implement interventions. The three teachers did not ignore the research; rather they had no knowledge of the current research regarding research. When I asked if they would continue to retain students if they knew that it was not in the best interest of the student, two of the three said, “yes.” They felt that at times there were not any other options. On the other hand, the administrators knew what the research said about retention; they both stated that they would let a teacher retain a child if the individual case met their own personal criteria, such as the student missing a lot of school, being immature, and having transitioned poorly from another school, or if the parents were on board with the decision. Therefore, the administrators were ignoring research and instead basing their decisions about retention on their own personal beliefs.

Cody was a Title I coordinator before he became an administrator. When he held that position at another school, he had a number of meetings with that building’s research dropout coordinator. As a result, he was very aware of research that correlated retention and student dropout rates. Cody told me that he did not want to encourage retention knowing the outcomes down the road, so he presented the research to his current staff during their staff meetings, and he was clear that they had to make a good case for retaining a student. He also informed his staff about how the school district would be impacted by retention. However, he noted that the teachers continued to discuss retaining students.

Jamie also shared current retention research with his staff. He felt that his staff reflected on the research and that they were more careful when making the decision about retention after he had presented the research on the connection between retention and dropout rates. However,

he noted that it was “hard for the primary grade teachers to make a connection to what happens when the kids move up in the grades, perhaps 10 years down the road.” Although he was proactive by sharing research and his staff agreed retention was a last resort, Jamie’s school continued to retain students. I observed three retention meetings that included the administrator, special education teacher, current teacher, next grade level teacher, and counselor; in all three, all of the committee members supported retention of the respective students. Little to none of their conversation was centered on research or best practices, and little evidence of completed

interventions was provided.