The present study deals with these issues as it addresses the question of the effects of retention. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the practice and effects of grade repetition using a nationally representative sample of early elementary children coupled with a methodologically adequate approach. We utilize the first grade cohort in the Prospects data. We focus on the first grade cohort because most retentions take place before or in the early grades. The timing of retention in the first grade cohort allows us to look at the students before, during, and after retention, an important analysis strategy.
First grade is the most frequent grade for retention.
In Chapter 2, we look at the question of who is retained. Several background and demographic factors substantially increase the chances of being retained in grade. By the same token, there are background and other factors that serve to protect children from being retained in grade. These include being of Hispanic origin, attending preschool, living in an urban area, having a more educated mother with a higher income, and being rated by the teacher as more motivated and not having trouble paying attention. Factors that were not associated in this sample with being retained in grade included attending Head Start before first grade, the number of items in the home, living in a household headed by a single parent, being Black, and initial reading vocabulary score.