Beginning in early
2020, COVID-19 drove decisions to adopt learning platforms and strategies on a
scale never before contemplated. Recent research suggests that, as classrooms
have returned to face-to-face instruction, many students have experienced
learning losses. Once again, grade retention has surfaced as offering lagging
students a gift of time. This qualitative study relies on 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
align with extant research. The study offers current education leaders and
those who aspire to these leadership roles insights into the long-term impact
of a decision to retain a student in grade.
