Session Goal: Participants will understand what research says about grade retention and practice advocacy around the topic.  Theoretical Framework: Research has shown that the practice of requiring a student to repeat a grade can have significant negative outcomes. Despite this, EL students are often retained at higher rates than non-EL peers, and many educators believe that having EL students repeat a grade is beneficial to language development. Unfortunately, retention is detrimental, slowing language growth, hindering academic progress, creating behavior problems, and increasing dropout rates.  Description: Grade retention is a difficult topic because of the fervent beliefs and observed experiences that teachers may have. For that reason, a carefully sequenced design walks educators through a discovery process:  Research Design: A short and practitioner-friendly walk-through helps educators know what to look for in a well-designed and trustworthy retention study.  Research Content: Participants learn about socio-emotional and adult outcomes (graduation) in retention research, and then participate in a short meta-analysis of selected research abstracts, using a graphic organizer. Through this process, participants discover that retention is beneficial only in the short-term, which drives misconceptions. Going Deeper: Additional relevant studies are discussed, including research specific to ELs and the impact of language development after retention.  Advocacy without Judgement: Retention can be a touchy issue, and many educators have strong beliefs around the practice. Participants will consider how to share information upon returning home, including approaching difficult conversations with hesitant colleagues.  Participants receive a full research brief with relevant citations and summaries, plus digital resources.