On the Same Track - 9780807032978

A public school principal’s account of the courageous leaders who have dismantled the tracking systems in their schools in order to desegregate classrooms

Since the beginning of the last century, the sorting of students into different “tracks” has resulted in segregated classrooms and unequal learning opportunities for students. On the Same Track traces the origins of tracking, from its beginnings in the early twentieth century to today. Carol Burris argues that the practice perpetuates de facto segregation in integrated districts, including those that were ordered by the courts to desegregate. Drawing on the latest research, Burris shows how tracking results in achievement gaps and racial and class stratification. She then chronicles the struggles of school leaders, teachers, and parents as they sought to overcome race, class, and intellectual prejudice and dismantle the student sorting systems in their schools. Finally, Burris cautions readers that some present-day reforms may in fact result in further racial and socioeconomic segregation, unintentionally undermining some of the progress that schools have made in creating more equitable learning experiences for children.