“Is Retaining Students in the Early Grades Self-Defeating?”

“Many educators believe that reading by third grade is a vital indicator of future school success. Some even argue that unless children are good readers by third grade, the rest of their schooling will be an uphill struggle. Several states and school districts now require that students who have not mastered basic reading skills by the end of third grade be retained and given remedial instruction. Others argue that students should not be retained unless they have had high quality early education and reading instruction during and before third grade. These policies and practices have renewed a longstanding debate among educators about whether students who cannot read by third grade should be retained and, if so, under what circumstances.”

The Center on Children and Families at Brookings recently released a policy summarizes research on reading and retention policy and practice. In this brief, the Center offered a number of policy implications related to this issue. These implications include:

• Reducing the number of students who do not acquire basic reading skills in the early grades remains an urgent priority for American public education.
• Policies encouraging the retention of students who have not acquired basic reading skills by third grade are no substitute for the development of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the number of struggling readers.
• Test-based promotion policies are most likely to be successful if they are accompanied by specific requirements that retained students be provided with additional, research-based instruction in reading and adequate funding to implement those requirements.

To access a copy of this Brookings policy brief, please visit:

Center on Children and Families at Brookings: Is Retaining Students in the Early Grades Self-Defeating? (August 2012)

Background information:

Center on Children and Families at Brookings