Oakes

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

Premise:

· grouping
· Low -ability
· tracking
· levels
· opportunity
· ability
· high-ability
· experiences
· fail
· succeed
· privileged
· education
· curriculum
· change
· teachers
· resources
· time
· evaluation
· record
· alternatives
· gap

Argument:
Oakes’ argues that unless teachers and administration believe and expect all students to learn well, they will be unlikely to create school and classroom conditions where students believe in their own ability and exert the effort it takes to succeed. We need to minimize or diminish the ability gap in order to create equal opportunity for success in both high and low ability as well as average ability whose best interests seem to get lost along the way.
Evidence:
1 “… oppose tracking because they believe it locks most students into classes where they are stereotyped as “less able,” and where they have fewer opportunities to learn.” There is no use of equal opportunity in this process.

2 “ The reason for this may be that because they’re more likely to fail, they risk more by trying.” The high-ability student have stronger learning experience because they have already made it to the top learning class and are not afraid to fail but only succeed, where lower levels are scared to think outside of the box because classes are taught in a different approach.

3 “ The gap between them and more successful students has grown wider –not only in achievement but in attitudes toward school and toward their own ability to succeed.” Distinction and separation of levels created differences in attitudes and success.

Wrap up:
I thought that Oakes’ piece brought up an interesting topic , one that has made me curious prior to reading this piece. The reading was pleasant in with it’s basic vocabulary and strait forward points. The separation and titling of each major topic throughout was helpful in organizing my thoughts on the piece. Oakes’ opinions and idea attracted me as while opening my eyes to new angles of the subject.