The Effects of Third-Grade Retention on Multilingual Students: A Gateway or a Gatekeeper? (Poster 8)

• In Event: AERA Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research
  In Invited Poster Session: AERA Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research Poster Session

Abstract

Educational policies designed for all students often fail to address the unique needs of multilingual students classified as English Learners (ML-ELs), therefore it is critical to assess the efficacy of these policies for ML-ELs specifically. This paper uses a regression discontinuity design, leveraging Texas’s test-based grade retention policy, to estimate the effects of this policy on ML-ELs' short- and long-term outcomes. Results indicate that for students close to the test score cutoff, grade retention has positive effects on math and reading achievement and increases the likelihood of on-time high school graduation. However, these positive effects do not extend to higher post-secondary enrollment or earnings. The findings underscore the need to examining the long-term effects of broader education policies on ML-ELs.

Author

• Diana C. Quintero Castellanos, Vanderbilt University