Persuasive Essay Draft

Topic: Tracking in Public Schools

Thesis Statement: Used in the majority of public schools throughout the United States, the tracking system has been linked to negative outcomes for minority and low-track students; with that said, the current system begs for reform that will decrease the prominence of stratification and minimize the achievement gap.

Audience: Current/Future Public-School Educators where tracking exists

Interesting Introduction: As a college student, education-enthusiast, and future educator, I believe in the power of a strong public school system that fulfills the dream of serving as the “great equalizer.” They have the potential to educate, guide, motivate, and enrich every student throughout the United States. However, such a system cannot be achieved without recognizing and targeting its current shortcomings; ignoring the prevailing and institutionalized problems in the system only harms those who experience them: students. With that said, one major problem that is present in our educational system proves to be the poor implementation of tracking throughout the majority of our secondary public schools. Minority and low-track students aren’t receiving the equal education that they deserve, as they suffer from the negative consequences of the widely used system.

Outline of the Essay:

  1. Introduction
    1. Thesis: Used in the majority of public schools throughout the United States, the tracking system has been linked to negative outcomes for minority and low-track students; with that said, the current system begs for reform that will decrease the prominence of stratification and minimize the achievement gap.
  2. What is tracking?
    1. Definition
    2. History
    3. Area of use
  3. What are the implications?
    1. Cite research
      1. Prevalence of tracking
      2. Effects of tracking on students
        1. Who does it hurt?
        2. Who does it help?
        3. How does curriculum/instruction differ in each track?
        4. What’s the correlation between track and race, SES, graduation rates, etc.
        5. Does it allow for upward mobility?
  4. Why do we need to reform the current model?
    1. Equality should be of the utmost importance
    2. The system hurts the students in the lower tracks
    3. Use examples of schools that have modified the original, most popular tracking model
  5. Conclusion
    1. Next steps
      1. Educators should ensure that the “best” teachers in a school aren’t only teaching the upper tracks
      2. Equalize the curriculum for all tracks
      3. Raise the expectations for the low tracks
      4. Factors unrelated to academic ability (race, SES, etc.) cannot play a role in the track placement of a student
      5. Allow for more student choice and upward mobility; eliminate the rigid requirements and prerequisites
    2. Dedication to students and their futures
    3. If we have the facts, we need to act. Reading the literature won’t solve anything.

Source List:

  1. http://www.nea.org/tools/16899.htm
  2. http://www.ascd.org/ascd/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el199904_loveless.pdf
  3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/15/how-three-schools-challenge-their-diverse-student-populations/?utm_term=.28ecd73929c3
  4. Brodbelt, Samuel. “How Tracking Restricts Educational Opportunity.” The Clearing House, vol. 64, no. 6, 1991, pp. 385–388. JSTOR, JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/30182083.
  5. Burris, Carol Corbett, and Kevin G. Welner. “Closing the Achievement Gap by Detracking.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 86, no. 8, 2005, pp. 594–598. JSTOR, JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/20441857.
  6. Oakes, Jeannie. “BEYOND TRACKING.” Educational Horizons, vol. 65, no. 1, 1986, pp. 32–35. JSTOR, JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/42926852

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