Why does student retention matter?

Retention is a clear indicator of how an institution is performing. If the retention rate is lower than the national average, prospective students will be asking why. Whereas a higher than average retention rate signals that current students are satisfied with their course program, quality of teaching, and campus life.

Why is student retention so important?

Retention is a fundamental component of an institution's ability to carry out its mission. Low retention creates a financial loss but also appears as a symbolic failure for an institution. It is also more cost-effective to retain the students you currently have rather than recruiting for new ones.

Is student retention good or bad?

Most children do not “catch up” when held back. Although some retained students do better at first, these children often fall behind again in later grades. Retention is one of the most powerful predictors of high school dropout; holding a child back twice makes dropping out of school 90% certain.

What impact does grade retention have on the individual?

High-profile meta-analyses based on these studies concluded that grade retention was associated with poorer academic outcomes (including higher dropout rates) and greater risk of behavioral issues. [2] However, the studies included in these meta-analyses were mostly correlational rather than causal.

What does it mean when a student is retained?

Grade retention is a common practice in schools today. Grade retention, also called repeating a grade, is the act of placing a student in the same grade for a second year.

Why is Student Retention Important?

What are the benefits of retention in school?

Retained students have an additional year of school and are a year older than the non-retained kids when they take a grade-level test. That means that age, natural development, and more time in class might explain the higher scores. That is part of the idea behind retention: giving students extra time to learn.

Is retention good or bad?

Here are a few studies. In 1984, Holmes and Matthews found that retained students showed lower academic achievement, poorer personal adjustment, and lower self-concept. In addition, they found that in all cases, the outcomes for students promoted were more positive than for those who were retained.

Why is retention crucial?

Retention saves not only money but also the time that can be spent on more productive activities that can drive the company forward. Employee turnover can significantly impact productivity. High turnover rates can cause disruptions to workflow, which can lead to lower productivity levels.

How does retention affect learning?

Learning retention is a person's ability to transfer new information into their long-term memory so that it is easy for them to recall and put that knowledge to use in the future. In simpler words, learning retention is all about making new knowledge stick for a long time.

What does poor retention lead to?

The High Cost of Turnover

One of the most apparent reasons poor staff retention can lead to business failure is the high financial cost associated with employee turnover. Replacing an employee involves recruitment, training, onboarding, and often a decrease in productivity as the new hire gets up to speed.

Does grade retention make a difference?

Still, the researchers found that students who were retained had higher grade point averages and took fewer remedial courses in high school than students who had similar reading abilities but weren't held back.

Why not to retain a student?

Academic achievement of kids who are retained is poorer than that of peers who are promoted. Repeating a grade prior to entering high school increases the chance of a student dropping out. Students of color are at the greatest risk of being retained in any community — urban, suburban, or rural.

What factors influence student retention?

Does retention repeating a grade help struggling learners?

Repeating a grade―also known as "grade retention" ―has not been shown to help children learn. Children won't outgrow learning and attention issues by repeating a grade. In fact, repeating a grade may contribute to long-term issues with low self-esteem, as well as emotional or social difficulties.

Why is knowledge retention important in education?

The fundamental importance of knowledge retention is that there is limited value in any learning if new knowledge cannot be recalled and used in future. Individuals can waste time and resources if they do not retain knowledge from specific learning.

What are the barriers to student retention?

I'll group these barriers to student success into four categories: academic pressures, wellness struggles, financial insecurities, and real-life responsibilities. I hope that these descriptions allow us to think more strategically about our work around student retention and persistence.

What are the benefits of retention?

Retaining your employees can ultimately help boost both departmental or overall company profits. A business's revenue can increase based on several benefits it can receive from employee retention, including better customer service, reduced hiring costs and optimized employee productivity.

Are there any benefits to retention?

Employee retention cuts costs and improves business performance by decreasing hiring and training costs, improving company morale, maintaining experienced employees, retaining organizational and process knowledge, etc.

Should struggling students repeat a grade?

Repeating a grade can damage students' confidence and subject them to bullying. Sometimes it can help academically, but those gains quickly fade. Some studies show that holding elementary students back can work, but only if they get key supports, such as tutoring, summer programs, or high-quality teachers.

Why students should never be forced to repeat a year at school?

Unfortunately, forcing a child to repeat a grade typically causes more problems than it solves. Students who have been required to repeat a grade are more likely to have confidence issues and social issues moving forward. They're far more likely to give up on school or even drop out altogether.

Why should kids be held back?

Why schools may recommend repeating a grade. When kids haven't built the academic skills needed for the next grade, the school may advise holding them back. The idea is that an extra year will help them catch up. But sometimes a child's academic struggles are just one factor that the school is considering.

Why would a child be retained?

A child may be considered for retention if he or she has poor academic skills, is small in stature or the youngest in the grade, has moved or been absent frequently, does poorly on a prescreening assessment, or has limited English-language skills.

How do you ensure student retention?

How do you help students with retention?

Should students who fail their classes be retained?

The weight of the evidence of literally hundreds of studies shows that retaining children does not produce higher achievement. Rather than flunking students, schools should provide high quality instruction for children who find learning difficult.