Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by: Jeannie Oakes

Premise:

• Alternative Strategies
• Low-ability
• High -ability
• Learning Task
• Different Skills
• Tracking

Author's Argument:

Oakes argues that there are low and high ability students in the classrooms. She also states that one thing we can do for these students is to put them in groups together so that the low and the high ability students can work together and help one another out. Another aspect she shows is that it might not be that good for the students to work together. Every student has their own way of learning. She also thinks that low ability students do not pay as much attention than high ability students, but if you add special resources they could do better. The last aspect is that the student's environment plays a role in their education.

Evidence:

1. "Students in lower-ability classes have classroom environments that are less conductive to learning than do their peers in upper-level classes."
2. " Add special resources, a sense of superior academic "mission", perhaps a parent support group, and these students will get the best education in town."
3. "As children interact with their environment, they acquire cognitive abilities."

Questions/Comments/ Points to share

I thought this article was interesting. I also found it very informing about how low and high performing children have different classes. It seemed like the privilege students got more then the lower performing kids which I thought was unfair. I would really like to see both groups join together and work together to help the lower performing students.