Does the Tracking belong in American Schools?
I. A History of Tracking
The purpose for America’s public education system is something that has been widely debated. Many believe that the overarching goal of the American education system is to acquire intellectual knowledge first and foremost, which arises arguments over creating a system that all students are able to succeed in. Most Americans can agree that the purpose of public education in the United States is to provide all students an opportunity to learn and to turn out productive members of society ready to compete in a global economy (Noddings, 2015). The issue that sprouts from this common goal is where each student’s place in this system is.
“Tracking” as we know it began as a response
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Opponents of Tracking
Though tracking may have some benefits, there are many drawbacks to consider. Many believe that tracking fails to benefit the student and encourages an even larger system of inequity within minority students, widening the achievement gap. Many teachers, parents and organizations discourage the use of tracking for placement. The National Education Association supports the elimination of such groupings. NEA believes that the use of discriminatory academic tracking based on economic status, ethnicity, race, or gender must be eliminated in all public school settings (NEA Resolutions B-16, 1998, 2005).
Anne Wheelock, author of Crossing the Tracks: How "Untracking" Can Save America's Schools (New Press, 1992), believes that tracking is not a neutral or benign process – and that it is even harmful to students. She argues that tracking provides a narrow view of intelligence, that the students are forced to take on labels (i.e. high vs low, fast vs slow), and that once students are tracked, they generally stay at that level throughout their entire career – thus widening the achievement gap (Bozzone & Wheelock). Wheelock points out that she understands that there are some advantages to homogenous grouping in certain subjects like reading, but that these should be temporary groupings versus the tracking that would follow those
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I really think that tracking in a broad sense can be a helpful thing. When kids are younger, it benefits them to have interventions and be with similar level peers in specific areas to prevent and combat academic gaps – specifically in math and reading. As kids go throughout school, I truly believe that each child should be exposed to the same curriculum and pushed to his or her best limit. Every person is an individual and has different strengths and interests. There are many scenarios where flexible grouping and inclusion are very
-- Public eduction is one of the most significant and unfinished achievements in American history. The main point of the first video was to show the viewer how far public schools have come and how far they still need to go.
America has not changed it’s educational system in over two hundred years. For this reason, our students and population are falling further and further behind. Our society has done nothing but move forward, so why hasn’t our learning? Everybody has a story, opinion, or response to education. We need to invest in refining our tools to succeed, to create a better sense of self, and a stronger, more well-rounded nation. The American educational system is hurting students by passing them without merit and relying on standardized tests; however, many are now running back to these hollowed halls to ensure better futures.
America’s public school system started off very rough, but through the dedication of many hard-working Americans, it was starting to shape into a system that allowed all children, regardless of race, gender, religion, or nation of origin, to have an education.
The purpose of this article is to convince Americans that the public school system is failing students nationwide and that it needs to be ended. O’Rourke boldly argues that there is no need to mend public schools, only end them. The public school system has been serving America for years, but O’Rourke clearly believes that it is time to put an end to them. O’Rourke argues that it the public school system’s time is up in this statement: “America’s public schools have served their purpose.
Another major criticism of the “No Child Left Behind” deals with the implications of using a standardized test as means of assessing achievement.
Tracking is where students are identified as gifted or placed in remedial classes. By doing this, students learn about their overall success and achievements in comparison to the other groups. In the documentary, the principal, Rob Gasparello, addresses why their school is not the greatest. He states that their school has a “terrible reputation” and that the numbers do not lie. Looking at the data would assume that the overall success rate is not as high as other schools. By knowing this, it can be detrimental to the students’ education. This can be detrimental because students who attend this high school may start believing that they will never be successful so why bother trying. Other students who do not attend this high school may not have respect for these schools and assume they are better because they believe that they go to a better school. This is an example of inequality in education and studies have shown that while education benefits everyone, it does not benefit everyone equally. An inequality in education mirrors and inequality in
Mass public schooling has acquired the role of conformity to aid students in becoming good citizens. Straying away from a crucial aspect of schooling; individuality. A glaring issue within the system has now become finding a balance between the two, but doing so in a manner that will allow students to pursue their own interests. Even though public education encourages organization and conformity due to its promotion of discipline, this rigid schooling technique hinders any attempts students make to think for themselves.
As argued in “Making the Grade,” the No Child Left Behind Act seeks to reduce gaps in testing areas that have allowed kids to advance without having high-quality skills in subjects such as math and reading. By discovering what kids are slipping through the gaps in testing, it will be easier for schools to aid these students and make sure they are not left behind. Other main goals of this act include to find teachers who are not well educated in the subjects they are currently teaching, and to locate those schools who fail t...
...her ups, and then once their ideas of education update, so can school systems, then teachers themselves. Maiers “Keys to Student Engagement” shows the raw potential that school systems already have. It also shows that students need the drive and ambition to succeed. Tristan’s article on edutopia provides ideas that are already in motion. His ideas and tips have already started to work in public high school in his community. With the guidance and vision of these three authors public school issues could cease to exist. Even though there’s a lot involved getting administrators (and some teachers) on board, it is possible, and in the near future, a reality.
In society, education can be seen as a foundation for success. Education prepares people for their careers and allows them to contribute to society efficiently. However, there is an achievement gap in education, especially between Hispanics and Blacks. In other words, there is education inequality between these minorities and white students. This achievement gap is a social problem in the education system since this is affecting many schools in the United States. As a response to this social problem, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed to assist in closing this achievement gap by holding schools more accountable for the students’ progress. Unsuccessful, the No Child Left Behind Act was ineffective as a social response since schools were pushed to produce high test scores in order to show a student’s academic progress which in turn, pressured teachers and students even more to do well on these tests.
The purpose of schooling can be highly subjective, but some core purposes have persisted through time. These core values are important and will continue to be the driving force of education. Unfortunately, many times the idealized purposes of education are vastly different from the reality. Our education system is not perfect but it is constantly improving. Despite its flaws, our current school system does teach our children many important skills, both socially and academically. School gives our children a chance to reach their full potential and succeed in life. As our culture changes, so will our purposes behind educating our children.
The No Child Left Behind Act was set into place with the goal to improve student performance in school, and close the achievement gap between students; as Stecher, Vernez, and Steinburg state, “When congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), it established an ambitious goal for the nation’s states, districts, and schools: All children will be proficient in reading and mathematics by the 2013-2014 school year” (1). While the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented with good intentions, the act itself is one of the main reasons the United States is falling behind in educational rankings. One of the most common complaints of parents surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act is the weakest link factor: the weakest student sets the pace in the classroom. The weakest student...
Over time, the passing of knowledge became more organized and societies developed what is known today as the school. In the school, people of all ages are able to learn from the experiences of others. Today, America’s system has been neglected to a point that students of other nations are testing higher academically than that of American students (Duncan, 2010). Because of this, many government officials, school reformers, and concerned citizens are faced with the challenge of finding a solution. However daunting and intimidating this may be, we must remember that this is not the first time that America has faced a need for change in the school. History is full of such events calling for changes to be made; unfortunately many of these changes were never fully implemented into the school system. Therefore, by studying the past we can build upon and complete the changes started. Unleashing the full potential of the American public school, giving each student a chance to be their greatest, regardless of who they are, and/or where they came from.
Education is a vital tool for lifelong success but there are many areas of concern in the current system of public education. Education reform has been a constant occurrence since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Every year, specialists develop
I believe that all children should experience an undying, blooming love for learning throughout the entirety of their public education regardless of financial, geographical, social, or intellectual circumstances. Public education reform is important to me because I am an advocate for possibility. Every student has the potential to achieve his or her dreams of succeeding; perhaps we, as adults, need to use our voices to recover those that our children have lost in their fight against today’s failing public education