Abstract
Beginning in early 2020, COVID-19 forced educators
across the United States to adopt learning platforms and strategies never
before contemplated. Recent research suggests that, as classrooms return to
face-to-face instruction, parents, teachers, and administrators are confronting
gaps in student learning. Once again, grade retention has surfaced as offering
lagging students a gift of time. This qualitative study relies on detailed
interviews with adults, ages 43-67, who were retained in grade as children. Using
narrative inquiry (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016; Patton, 2015), we probed the
perceptions of participants, seeking to understand the extent to which their
experiences aligned with extant research. The study offers current education
leaders and those who aspire to these leadership roles reminders of the
long-term impact of a decision to retain a child in grade.
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