Sociology Educational Tracking PDF

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Willow Anderson Sharon Patterson Sociology 101 November 11, 2018 Educational Tracking Education has had a huge impact on my life, and understandably so. When looking at my past, I realized I’ve spent a large portion of my life inside tiny rooms learning about the powerhouse of the cell, or the history of America. After learning about tracking in our education unit, I realized that it has also made a huge impact on the path that I ended up taking in life. Tracking, as defined in the book, is how schools assign students to distinct groups based on ability and/or curriculum (Persell). This impacts many students at a very young age and has the potential to determine their futures. I always knew I would be placed on a college path, while I have had many different schooling experiences, they all lead me to where I am today. I’ve been private schooled, public schooled, and home schooled. Due to my families income and my sister’s decision to go to college I was automatically expected to attend college which as what I wanted as well. The track that I was placed on provided many educational advantages that many students did not have. Since I was both private and homeschooled, this gave me many advantages when I entered the public school system. I went to a high school that had more money per student than most of the high schools within Idaho. This gave me even more advantages compared to most of the high schools in Idaho. I had more money dedicated to me to pay for AP exams, transfering credits, and college course fees. This helped me bring college credits from high school into college, automatically giving me another advantage. This allowed me to take more classes that interested

me as well as giving me the option to take an easier first semester. By being placed on this the college track and by taking AP courses and college courses throughout high school, I was able to get a headstart on my education. By taking AP courses and college courses I was also able to better prepare myself for the stress of college. I learned how to be persistent with school work and how to do large amounts of homework in a small amount of time. By preparing myself for the workload of college in high school, I was able to give myself time to adjust to the college life without drowning in the workload as well. Many of the opportunities that I was presented with throughout my life can be attributed to my education. In the readings it says, “We care about education because it shapes so many important aspects of our adult lives, from intellectual development to career prospects, income level to physical health, even to intimate relationships and marriage”(Persell). According to this excerpt of the text, has influenced and will continue to influence many aspects of my life. I’ve been given many advantages due to the track I was placed on, I was presented with many college preparation courses and I was also able to take many AP and college courses throughout high school, this let me get a headstart on college as well as preparing me for the workload. After researching tracking and the many impacts that is has on individuals, I realized that there are opportunities that aren’t given to those that are placed on a lower track in life. In the education chapter it states, “Research suggests that tracking creates instructional, social, and institutional differences in students’ learning experiences”(Persell). This shows that not all student’s schooling experiences have been the same, therefore many students may not be getting the same opportunities. In most cases the lower tracking students are the ones that don’t get given the same opportunities to advance their learning and prepare for college. The lower track student’s don’t get to take AP course and in many cases they are unable to afford the expenses

that come along with advanced courses. A critical theorist would see this as a structural disadvantage that continues to reinforce underlying inequalities within our public education system. Students that grow up in low income neighborhoods are more likely to go to low income schools, and since schools are funded from taxes, this doesn’t allow the low income students to get the same learning opportunities as the high income schools. This reinforces the social inequalities since minorities are more likely to be low income students and are therefore more likely to be placed on a lower track. By being placed on this lower track the student is then set on a path to become a low income worker, therefore reinforcing these social inequalities. I have been influenced by educational tracking for years and I am very thankful for the track that I was placed on. However tracking seems to do more harm than good for society, since it reinforces many social inequalities that have existed for centuries. I was placed on a better education track than many minorities, and I never noticed how much tracking can influence different people's lives.

Work Cited Persell, Caroline H. “Chapter 15: Education.” The Sociology Project 2.5 with Watson, by Dirk Witteveen, Pearson, 2018....