Grade retention as a major element in education and reading policy has been adopted by at least 14 states, with 32+ states linking reading intervention to high-stakes testing. These policies ignore four decades of research on the negative consequences of grade retention and the significant body of research on effective and supportive literacy instruction. Grade retention represents a system of ill-advised policies increasingly based on misleading advocacy resulting in a recursive cycle of punishment for young people, diminishing their sense of belonging, and reducing their opportunity for educational equity. Educators, policymakers, and political leaders must oppose the practice of retention.