Author and Title:
JEANNIE OAKES- TRACKING: WHY SCHOOLS NEED TO TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE

Argument:
This author argues that dividing students into groups based on their learning ability should not be done. This does not help the students who need the extra attention, but hurts their educational experience. Tracking does not have a place in the school system and is not logicalical.

Quotes:
"One fact about tracking is unequivocal: tracking leads to substantial differences in day-to-day learning experiences students have at school."

This quote means that separating students effects how they learn. By putting the "smart" students with the "smart" students what is that saying to the other group of students? That they are dumb? Now if I were in a classroom where I was shunned from sitting with the "smart" group I wouldn't want to learn. Tracking leads to certain groups feeling superior and as though they have the upper hand. But this can also be a problem because more is expected out of them which can "dumb-down" a once "smart" student. The bottom line is tracking should not be done.

"Start by providing the best teachers, a concentration of the most successful students and sometimes even the lowest class size. Add special resources, a sense of superior academic "mission," perhaps a parent support group, and these students will get the best education in town."

This quote really gets to me. So basically this quote says that only if you are smart do you get SPECIAL resorces to work with, and only if you are smart do you get the BEST education. Well I think that no matter how smart or how stupid some teachers may think a student is, they should get an equal education. What student is going to want to work hard if they have crappy old books while the "gifted" kids get brandnew books and computers to use in class? Not one. Oh and what makes me laugh is that these smart kids need a parent support group? Is this an AA meeting or school? I'm not quite sure....I just remember in my middle school being in regular classes while all of my cousins and friends were in the "gifted" program. It got me angry because I always felt inferior to them and that is how any other kid is going to feel if they see "smarter" kids getting special attention. In this quote they even add a "superior academic 'mission'" as though these students are secret agents and have a secret agenda that they live by. I don't know....maybe I'm just frustrated because I have walked in the shoes of the "not so smart" group.

"In classrooms where the curriculum consists of a sequence of topics and skills that require prerequisite knowledge and skill mastery, mixing students who have different skills is difficult."

I can clearly see where this would be difficult. All students learn at different pases and some hardly remember what they did 3 hours ago (like me) nevermind prior knowledge from years ago. In order for me to remember something for a long time it needs to be drilled into my brain with pictures and words and examples. Math is not one of my strong points so coming to college and being expected to remember algebra when I did that in the 9th grade was a joke. I worked hard for the B+ I received because I had to get retaught all of the information. It would be tough to split up students based on prior knowledge because you don't know what they do and don't know.




Questions, Comments?:
I pretty much said how I felt in response to the quote I mean I was one of those kids who would just stop caring. I had writings in my books, they were ripped and bent and old, while all these "smarter" kids walked around with the best of the best. Its hard getting split up because how you are in class could effect your friendships outside of the classroom. Tracking is bad........bad bad bad!