Alternatives to Grade Retention

School Administrator, August, 1998 by Linda Darling-Hammond

As discussed in the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future's latest report "Doing What Matters Most," teacher expertise has been found to be the most significant determinant of student success, accounting for as much as 40 percent of the difference in overall student performance. Students who have highly effective teachers three years in a row score as much as 50 percentile points higher on achievement tests than those who have ineffective teachers for three years in a row. Several studies have found that the disparities in achievement between black and white students are largely a function of differences in the qualifications of the teachers they are assigned.

Unfortunately, many veteran teachers were not trained to meet many of today's expectations for the teaching of reading, mathematics and other subjects. They have no preparation for teaching students with learning disabilities or those whose first language is not English and were not taught about how people learn or how to support learning of different kinds. These teachers did not have the opportunity to learn to use diagnostic assessment tools that would enable them to understand and address learning problems.

While newly prepared teachers often have had more access to this knowledge, many new teachers are hired who have had little or no teacher training. In 1994, nearly 25 percent of newly hired teachers lacked full preparation for their jobs, and the proportions were higher in many urban and poor rural schools with large concentrations of low-income and minority students. Neither standards nor assessments can help students achieve if they do not have competent teachers to support them in their learning.

The changes needed to achieve new content and performance standards call for increased knowledge and skills on the part of teachers. Teachers need deep understanding of subject matter, students' diverse approaches to learning and multiple teaching strategies if they are to enable students to succeed.

School districts should make every effort to hire well-prepared teachers who understand content, teaching methods and learning; provide novices (who often teach the neediest students) with expert mentors; and provide systematic supports for ongoing professional development. Such opportunities should give teachers sustained opportunities--not just hit-and-run workshops--for learning about successful teaching strategies aimed at the new standards. This requires scheduled time for teachers to study and plan together, to learn about effective strategies, to examine curriculum and student work, to observe good practice and to give and receive coaching.

In addition, individual teachers may need opportunities for different kinds of learning--about content, teaching strategies, special learning needs and curriculum--that are unique to their needs and contexts. School leaders should develop institutes, teacher academies, teacher networks, professional development laboratories, expert consulting arrangements, university offerings and associated incentives that support individual and collective teacher learning.