Tracking: why schools need to take another route

Jeannie Oakes

“What did she learn?” rather than “how does she compare with others”. I agree with the article that the tracking system that is being used today need s to changed. What did someone learn? Should be the first question that we all ask when determining if the student is performing well in school. Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and or research. That is what we should be trying to get into the minds of young people the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits. Of our country. 

                More emphasis needs to put on education in the elementary level. Elementary is the foundation of a student’s school career. By middle school most students start decide that they do not like school or several subjects. When tracking starts in middle school the students that did not receive adequate education from their elementary school are miles behind. Then as stated in the article the students that are “behind” are put in the slow classes with teachers that are only there to collect a pay check. As a teacher I would see having the underachieving students as a challenge that I would embrace. My goal would be to guide those students to become the best students they can be. I would want to compare where they started the year to where they are at the end of the year.