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Kaitlyn Collins

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103H

9-10-2019

Topic Proposal: Getting Off Track in Education

Introduction/Overview

When I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but had no idea the

amount of time and energy it takes to finally be given a classroom to teach in. I started to learn

about what college was and why it was such a big deal to people- it gave people the opportunity

to grow and gain knowledge for their career and beyond. Growing up, I lived in a single income

household to a Mom that received her associate’s degree, so the concept of a university was

confusing and challenging to understand. In high school I took all honors and AP courses,

practiced for SATs and ACTs, and filled four years with activities and volunteering to prepare for

college admissions. Some people had a much different track than I did, focusing on getting a

passing grade so school could finally be over and they can move on in their lives. Schools in

America seem to lead their students to multiple places by senior year (college preparedness,

workforce, armed forces, etc.) so that they know what to do after they walk across the stage and

get their diploma- yet many schools seem to predict these outcomes early on and delegate

different tasks to these groups, which most education professionals call “academic tracking.”

Education Week defines academic tracking as “the most commonly used term for ability

grouping, the practice of lumping children together according to their talents in the classroom.”
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For my Extended Inquiry Project, I will be researching the reasoning behind academic

tracking and what factors and effects are placed into deciding what tracks students are placed on.

Schools claim that they give students the same education so they are prepared for life

after K-12; however, already starting in elementary school, there’s a shift and divide of students

into regular, and gifted. We start to see what students want to accomplish- but does that divide

place conforming boundaries or expectations on students? Do students in gifted programs feel a

pressure to always get A’s on assignments whereas their classmates live by the motto “C’s get

degrees”? Studies have suggested that academic tracking pulls students from certain racial or

ethnic groups which causes a divide between minority students and those chosen for accelerated

courses. Typically teachers teach these groups of students differently, and according to a study

published in the Educational Researcher journal in 2015 “37 percent of the achievement gap

between rich and poor students are explained by the differences in curriculum” in the United

States. Even locally in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools, in 2015, The Civil Rights Data

Collection estimated approximately 29 percent of the district enrollment were white students, yet

65 percent of students enrolled in gifted and talented, who are presumed to be the most

intelligent and need the most challenge, were white. On the other hand, African American

students made up 65 percent of in school suspensions and over 70 percent of out of school

suspensions. This data seems to show a correlation between race and the opportunities, such as

AP courses in Title I schools or STEM programs in high achieving schools, given or taken away

in school districts.
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While researching broad subjects in education about those with a college degree and

those without, I discovered the term “academic tracking.” I have found multiple articles from

The Atlantic about what tracking looks like in classrooms and the impact it has. When looking

through library databases, I found academic journals on SAGE where multiple people have

investigated academic tracking and conducted research on its effects. The Civil Rights Data

Collection shows trends in education over the years relating to race and enrollment data.

Many dissenting opinions come from those who justify that not everyone wants to take

college preparation courses and shouldn’t have to. Kate Barrington, a veteran writer for Public

School Review, wrote that teachers benefit from different groupings so they can plan and design

lessons to efficiently teach certain students. It also helps students continue to grow and not feel

like they’re being held back which can lead to laziness and self-esteem issues. Some believe that

specific groups aren’t targeted for these programs and students are treated fairly across the board.

Organizations like The Century Foundation believe reducing tracking will help give all students

enrichment opportunities. I found a TedTalk of a teacher describing her classroom that’s

underfunded and what public education is doing to cause this divide. Money is circulated

through schools based on high property taxes and test scores; if you can’t provide either of these,

you’re left with no money to help students get higher test scores or grow out of poverty, and it

creates a vicious cycle people can’t grow out of. I believe many educators would agree with this

teacher, but also can’t provide resources due to their lack of income in their paychecks. I found

another TedTalk but instead of a teacher speaking, a student discussed how he saw how academic

tracking can be detrimental to students and their futures.

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Initial Inquiry Question(s)

In what ways can academic tracking set up students for the successes and failures of

future academic and/or vocational opportunities?

My Interest in this Topic

I’m interested in academic tracking because I’ve seen it first hand; you could see groups

of students divided based on academic abilities and that ends up playing a part in their social and

mental lives at my high school back home. In my AP courses, it was only white and Asian

students that took these classes. If people looked at my background without meeting me, they

probably would’ve expected me to take maybe a couple honors courses and strive to get a

clerical job that only requires an associate’s degree; however, I worked hard in AP and honors

courses and became involved in several clubs and activities to rewrite the “status quo” for my

family and next generations. I believe the access to challenging courses, technology, and teacher

belief got me to where I am today, but I’m wondering if the lack of these resources are what have

held students back in higher poverty or more diverse areas.

Next Steps
For my paper, I want to focus on the racial/generational stipulations, mental/social

effects, and educator opinions of academic tracking.

I want to do more research on library databases to find more data and maybe conduct an

interview with educators and those affected by academic tracking. I also want to see if academic

tracking is a possible reason why families continue to live in poverty and also if certain tracks

have mental health effects. I will go to education-based journals like SAGE and find if any
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progress has been made and if this issue is projected to be resolved or not. I want to learn

people’s methods they think will solve this issue. I want to visit a reference librarian to receive

specialized help in finding information about my topic.

Sources Mentioned:
• “The Role of Schooling in Perpetuating Educational Inequality: An International

Perspective,” sagepub.com

• “The Other Segregation,” theatlantic.com

• “Integrating Classrooms and Reducing Academic Tracking,” tcf.org

• “How America’s public schools keep kids in poverty,” ted.com

• “Civil Rights Data Collection,” ocrdata.ed.gov

• “Tracking,” edweek.org

• “The Pros and Cons of Tracking in Schools,” publicschoolreview.com