tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6727344.post112159248401181481..comments2023-11-02T08:14:12.379-05:00Comments on MB Matthews: Street Smarts: Falling Through the Cracks. Landing in the Streets.marybethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065222113190978754noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6727344.post-1121862783809510442005-07-20T07:33:00.000-05:002005-07-20T07:33:00.000-05:00To track, or not to track...a very good question. ...To track, or not to track...a very good question. <BR/>Given the variables: Which will provide the greater benefit? Which does the most damage? <BR/>What are the other options no one is looking at, that can keep kids in school? <BR/>I have hoticed, over the years, many students whose attendance improves dramatcally when they begin to participate in sports or in the arts. Does "ramping-up" these programs keep kids in school?<BR/>I wonder what studies have been done in this area.<BR/>My observations tell me this:<BR/>When districts treat athletic and arts programs as "extras", as opposed to being integral components of a whole education, you will see students who feel disenfranchised.marybethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07065222113190978754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6727344.post-1121798378557340572005-07-19T13:39:00.000-05:002005-07-19T13:39:00.000-05:00To also respond to Doug's comments, tracking is a ...To also respond to Doug's comments, tracking is a sticky issue. In addition to labeling kids ("I'm in the 'dumb' class" is a comment I actually hear kids say in the halls and classroom), I also think tracking causes teachers to stereotype and form misconceptions about their students depending on what track they teach. For instance, at our school we used to have "6-level" classes created for students who didn't pass proficiencies yet or who were "low performing" according to their previous teachers' analyses. No one wanted 6-level classes. It was a rather common agreement that anyone teaching a full load of 6 levels would be heading for the door by October. In most public schools that track, "lower level" classes (and I want to be cautious about those words) are usually assigned to those teachers with little seniority (which also oftentimes means with little experience). Kids are automatically labeled unmotivated and are thought to be discipline problems from the get-go. So basically you have in a given large comprehensive high school new teachers teaching remedial classes consisting of kids who are labeled "unmotivated" and "discipline problems". To me, these labels and assignments have a huge impact on how teachers view these students and the curriculum. I know because I've witnessed it among my colleagues. Most of the work is silent busywork with very few opportunities for meaningful discussions or rigorous projects, and these teachers are also quick to refer these kids to the office. Sometimes understandingly, teachers with these classes kick into survival mode and simply try to escape in June unharmed. Also, and most important, once a student is labeled a 6-level, it is very difficult to escape from those classes.<BR/><BR/>I guess my point is that since we've eliminated these classes and incorporated them into our college prep classes, teachers at least have a hard time, initially, sorting out who's who. They also are not as quick to "dumb down" the curriculum and at least are trying to figure out how to make it rigorous for all. <BR/><BR/>I feel that many kids who say they hate school, already know all this and witness the injustices of a school that labels and tracks. They feel helpless, bored, and fed up. I'd drop out too.<BR/><BR/>In a perfect world, tracking could make sense from an instructional point of view. It's too bad, however, that other variables get in the mix.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6727344.post-1121680114465017152005-07-18T04:48:00.000-05:002005-07-18T04:48:00.000-05:00Doug, It is hard.When I notice kids who are partic...Doug, <BR/><BR/>It is hard.<BR/>When I notice kids who are particularly talented, I single them out for special assignments. I often have calls for entries come across my desk for art shows or contests that I will not have a whole class participate in since I do have a course of study to follow. These are the kids I also push to participate in some of the projects I have initiated that collaborate with artists and institutions from the community. This year we are going to be working on a video project with the Clevland Institute of Art. I would also like to do more with computer graphics and perhaps get interested kids hooked up with some of the Digital Divide programs that distribute computers to people in the inner-city who cannot afford to buy them. Most of my students do not have PCs at home. I see this is one area where interested communinty members and businesses can make a difference in the lives of students.marybethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07065222113190978754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6727344.post-1121671119100018562005-07-18T02:18:00.000-05:002005-07-18T02:18:00.000-05:00I've always felt that the best way to operate a pu...I've always felt that the best way to operate a public school is to have tracks for different ability students. In Mentor, we had 4 different tracks for certain subjects. For instance, in English, we had Honors, College-prep, Regular, and Tech-prep.<BR/><BR/>Some of my peers would take classes below their ability level to avoid the more difficult coursework. For this reason, there was always a big push from the counselors and teachers to strive for the highest level. <BR/><BR/>I'm lucky enough to have attended a school with such a variety of opportunities. I'd be curious to know how things operated in Cleveland Public. From your post, it sounds like kids of different ability levels are stuck in the same class. On top of all the other difficulties facing students in Cleveland, that would produce another disincentive.<BR/><BR/>Mentor's elementary schools were untracked and had students of all abilities in the same classroom. I too hated school during those years because I felt I was never challenged. I'd sit in class bored, wishing I could go home. If I was a teenager and didn't have caring, strict parents, I probably would have.<BR/><BR/>As a teacher, how do you motivate the brightest without taking time away from the neediest students? The only solution under the current system would have teachers running a track system within each classroom. That seems pretty difficult to do.DNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08299552062337185194noreply@blogger.com