Teacher Belief Systems and Retention

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Teacher Belief Systems and Retention

• David Franklin, Ed.D.

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Disclaimer

• This presentation may upset you, challenge your
  beliefs and make you angry.
• If the feelings of outrage start to overwhelm
  you, please use a paper bag that I have provided
  you.

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These are not trick questions

• Why do you believe that a Big Mac is not good for
  you?
• Why do you put sun block on?

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Question

• Why are children retained?
• Poor grades
• Immature
• Behavior
• Reading Skills
• Language Development
• Size

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Why do we retain even when

• The vast majority of research indicates that
• retention does not serve any educational purpose
• harms a students self-concept
• leads to increases in disruptive behavior,
  ambivalence towards school, aggressive actions
• students retained during elementary school are
  between 2 and 11 times more likely to drop out of
  high school than non-retained students
• Jimerson, Anderson, and Whipple (2002)

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National Statistics

• In the middle grades, the National Educational
  Longitudinal Survey in 1988 (NCES, 1989) found
  that one fifth of all eighth graders had repeated
  at least one grade, with the proportion climbing
  to one out of three eighth graders from
  low-income families
• A more recent report from the National Center for
  Education Statistics (2007) reports that 11 of
  public school students in kindergarten through
  grade 12 had been retained.

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State by State

• The number of students retained in states that do
  keep records is staggering. In 1995-96, Florida
  retained 96,753 students Georgia retained
  51,044 Tennessee retained 45,498 Wisconsin
  retained 19,391 and Massachusetts retained
  18,298.
• Darling-Hammond (1997), found four million
  students were retained in 1994.
• American Federation of Teachers President Sandra
  Feldman (1997) estimated that more than half of
  all students in many urban districts repeat at
  least one grade before they leave school, with or
  without a diploma.

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Inner-City

• Inner city schools are experiencing dropout rates
  of 50 or more (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005).
  Current research suggests that 50 of students
  who have been retained will drop out of high
  school.
• A recent study found that more than one-third of
  ninth graders from the fall 2001 entering class
  in the Los Angeles Unified School District failed
  to get promoted to the tenth grade (Silver,
  Saunders, Zarate, 2008).

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International

• Retention rates in the United States are
  comparable to Haiti and Sierra Leone, while
  contrasting sharply with most industrialized
  nations (e.g., Japan and most European nations),
  where less than 1 of the school-aged population
  is retained each year (Smith Shepard, 1987).

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Big Picture

• Retained students have lower levels of academic
  adjustment (i.e., a combination of achievement,
  behavior, and attendance) at the end of grade 11,
  are more likely to drop out of high school by age
  19, are less likely to receive a diploma by age
  20, are less likely to be enrolled in a
  postsecondary education program, received lower
  education/employment-status ratings, are paid
  less per hour, and receive poorer
  employment-competence ratings at age 20 in
  comparison to a group of non-retained,
  low-achieving students.

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How do Student Feel About Retention?

• Anderson, Jimerson, and Whipple (2005) documented
  that sixth grade students rated grade retention
  as the most stressful life event, similar to the
  loss of a parent and going blind.

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ARUSD Retention Rates
Year Number of Students Retained
2010 106
2009 97
2008 220
2007 284
2006 307
2005 351
2004 376
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Teacher Demographic Factors

• Research study looked at teacher ethnicity,
  experience, gender and education level

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Effect Size / Cohens d

• The following teacher demographics have the
  largest effect size
• African-American ethnicity.
• Teachers with 10-14 years of experience.
• Male teachers.
• Teacher with only a bachelors degree.

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Survey Results

• Years of Experience
• Teacher with 0-4 years of experience retain at
  twice the levels of teacher with 10-14 years of
  experience

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Findings

• The years of experience and education level
  clusters indicated a decrease in the
  effectiveness of retention in both primary and
  upper elementary grade levels as the education
  level and years of experience level rose.
• The belief that retention labels a student in
  either grades K-3 or 4-5 was rejected throughout
  all demographic clusters.
• The idea that students should never be retained
  was ranked the lowest. The questionnaire item
  regarding the perception that success begins at
  home had the highest ranked responses. The
  African American and Asian clusters reported
  higher values than the Hispanic and White
  clusters.
• The belief that the A-F grading system is fair
  yielded some statistical differences in the
  Ethnicity cluster. White and Asian teachers in
  this sample statistically believe the A-F grading
  system is fair at a higher rate than Hispanic and
  African American teachers.
• There was no statistical difference between the
  use of the A-F grading system and the belief that
  it is a fair system for all students A difference
  between female and male teachers in the belief
  that retention can help a student catch up to
  their peers in K-3 and 4-5 was evident.
• The number of years of experience played a
  significant factor in how a participant responded
  in all areas of focus There was no variation
  between the use of the A-F grading system and the
  belief that it is a fair system for all students

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Communication

• Teachers and parents perceptions of
  communicative methods must be explored and
  suggestions for improving communication between
  schools and families given for all stakeholders.

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Parent Involvement

• It is important to consider cultural variations
  among parents/families and the ways in which
  cultural factors may interact with the schools
  outreach. Policy changes that encourage parent
  involvement, increasing understanding among
  administrators, teachers and staff, and inviting
  parents involvement in all aspects of their
  childrens education are proactive strategies
  that may make parent involvement more feasible

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English Language Development

• With English Language Learners at a higher risk
  of retention than their native English-speaking
  counterparts, teachers must broaden their
  instructional toolbox to meet the diverse needs
  of their students. Despite efforts of educators
  to recognize, promote, and integrate the
  knowledge and cultural and literacy practices of
  English Language Learners into the classroom,
  many U.S. schools remain unresponsive to their
  unique needs.

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Extended Learning Time

• Summer Bridge Programs
• After-school Programs
• Giving students additional instructional time
  after school or in summer school, as opposed to
  retaining them for a year, also may reduce the
  risk of students dropping out due to being
  overage for grade.

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Grading Systems

• Reforming inequitable grading systems is a key
  factor in decreasing retention rates.
• Eliminate the zero
• Schools must provide multiple modes of assessment
  and flexible use of time for summative or
  evaluative assessments.

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Thank you!

• Questions?