Are retention policies detrimental to students? Courtesy of ASC Smart Brief

• With higher standards and performance benchmarks, many schools are revisiting retention.  Take a look and see what you think.
  Education writer and former teacher Nancy Flanagan makes a case against holding students back in school if they do not reach certain academic benchmarks, which she argues are arbitrary. Flanagan cites research that says the practice is detrimental to students, and she argues that retention policies are a symptom of an "unworkable system" in which students are grouped by age rather than ability. Education Week Teacher/Teacher in a Strange Land blog (2/15)