In "Tracking: Why Schools need to take another route" Jeannie Oakes argues that even though it's difficult to do, tracking needs to be changed. When we seperate students and expect more from the "high ability" students, we not only put the "less abled" students farther behind but also the "average" students are getting penalized. Here is a passage that I think really sums up what she is trying to say needs to change to help equal things out.
"Students who need more time to learn appear to get less; those who have the most difficulty learningseem to have fewer of the best teachers."
And here is a part where she discusses the "average" students...
"Researchers found that the proliferation of classes and special programs for students at the extremes-students with high abilities or with handicaps- had the effect of making students in the middle "unspecial" and guarenteeing that they were taught in quite "unspecial" ways.
I agree with Jeanne Oakes arguement and it reminds me alot of my service learning placement. In the classroom I am in, the students are grouped by reading level but instead of giving the students who need less help more help, they make sure the students struggling with reading get more help and are working now to even things out. I think Oakes would like this and want it to be modified to secondary education in place of the tracking thats going on now.
Here is a newer article that states what Oakes said in 1985.
In class I plan in discussing further how I think the school I volunteer in is heading in the right direction.
In my service learning project they are grouped by reading level too but they are all helped individually I think this works out really well
ReplyDeleteI agree the students who are strugling should be able to recieve more help.
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