Forced retention of Minnesota third-graders takes Minnesota in the wrong direction
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ST. PAUL, Minn., May 9, 2011: Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher sharply criticized an education bill passed Monday by the Minnesota House of Representatives that forces schools to hold back third-graders who struggle in reading.
“Forced retention takes Minnesota in the opposite direction we need to be going,” Dooher said. “Research shows that forced retention increases the likelihood that a child will drop out of school by 20 to 50 percent. Other research shows that holding children back does not improve their achievement in school, and many of them actually do worse. Minnesota is supposed to be helping children succeed in school; this bill instead sets them up for a lifetime of struggles.”
“Rather than punish third-graders who need help reading, Minnesota should be investing in early childhood and all-day kindergarten,” Dooher said. “Those are the kinds of resources that are proven to help all children learn and succeed in school. Every Minnesota student deserves the opportunity for a great education and forced retention does not move us in that direction.”
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota represents 70,000 professionals working together for excellence in education for all students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and educational support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EducationMN.
May 09, 2011