The Effects of Student Retention

It's not only a problem within Universities, but student retention also has an influence over high schools and other educational institutions across the United States. Increasing numbers of pupils are having to repeat school years or semesters due to failing vital examinations, dramatically underachieving in terms of their target grades, or else being demanded to re-take their tests based upon any other realistic reasoning. Here, we explore the effects of student retention on US pupils and the wider community - in both educational and social terms.

On an educational level, approximately four fifths of recent studies suggest that student retention does not benefit the long term academic results and successes of pupils who are held back. Much of this is said to stem from the collected evidence that many of those students who are retained and forced to repeat a specific time period of their education often experience deep-set behavioral problems as well as academic difficulties, and these often go ignored.

Further research indicates that pupils kept back in this matter generally have less success in terms of employment later on life, and those who do manage to find a fitting job usually earn much less than those who ascend through the school ranks normally. Clearly, some of this results from poor exam performances and final grades that only allow for the lowest-paid occupations, but the best part of the rest can be traced down to stereotyping amongst employers - despite the fact that it's illegal.

Socially, student retention seems to have some equally unsavory outcomes. Due to feeling rejected by society and possessing minimal levels of self-esteem, pupils who repeat segments of their schooling often lead lives tainted with aggressive behavior or stress problems. The fact that being retained at school results with young people being labeled negatively in the majority of cases doesn't help matters, and such social stigmas have been known to encourage risk taking behaviors including driving under the influence and having unprotected sex.

Despite the widely-debated drawbacks relating to student retention, it has been observed that there are some benefits - but the pupil in question needs to be intent on reaching these if they are to have any success in achieving them. Making an early intervention and requesting students repeat a course or year of their education means their personal difficulties can be highlighted, and as a result, combated more easily.

After the problem areas of individual students are identified, any necessary measures can be taken. For example, it observations show that the pupil has a learning difficulty that is/could begin slowing their progress in school, they could well be referred to a special educational needs unit where their exact requirements and learning needs are carefully attended to on a daily basis.

Providing this means of extra support and guidance means that struggling pupils are given the boost that they need to overcome their difficulties. Admittedly, there are some notable negatives when it comes to evaluating student retention, but without having it in place, countless young people who struggle academically could miss out on the opportunity they need to transform their schooling.