In a 1999 study of the long-term effects of grade retention, researcher Shane Jimerson concluded that retained students had more employment problems, were paid less per hour and were less likely to enroll in a postsecondary education program than low-achievers who are promoted.

 

The highest retention rates are found among poor, minority and inner-city youth. It's estimated that as many as 15 percent of U.S. students are held back each year, and 30 to 40 percent of those are retained at least once before ninth grade. Higher numbers of boys than girls are retained. The most common reason for retention is poor reading skills.

 

Researchers Shepard and Smith (1990) concluded that retention "does not help children to catch up. Retained children may appear to do better in the short term, but they are at much greater risk for future failure than their equally achieving, non-retained peers."

 

One study found that only the loss of a parent or going blind would be more traumatic for children.

 

Some studies deem early retention to be less traumatic and find no differences in adjustment between those students who were retained in early grades and those who were not. Others say it's traumatic at any age.