LGPOLICY-LIST digest 15

[Aurolyn Luykx]

Hey Ron,
just had to weighin on the charter school/honors
programs/gifted thing, even if it's a little off
topic. This semester I've been reading and teaching
about tracking and detracking, and have become
convinced that the former is one of the major evils of
our educational system. And actually it
disproportionately affects ELL students, so I guess it
IS relevant to our list!
The main opposition to DEtracking reforms comes from
(surprise) parents of the high-tracked kids.
Tellingly, their concerns seem to hinge less on the
quality of educational opportunities available to
their children, than on the threat of losing EXCLUSIVE
"gifted" status for their kids, "honors track"
designations that are important in the eyes of college
admissions officers, etc. Jeannie Oaks book "Keeping
Track" is an essential and classic source on this
stuff.
Aurolyn
p.s. How do you say "charter school" in Aymara anyway?
;-)


> Greek's fine, although I'd opt for Aymara myself.
Imagine an Aymara  charter school (not my original
idea, but a good one!).
> 
> As for the elitism, I don't know. I don't care much
> for honors  programs, "gifted" programs, and the
like. I feel
> like everyone  should be treated as gifted. I think
it's my
> Appalachian background  that sort of makes me recoil
at the idea (we hill folk don't cotton  much to
elites).
> 
> Ron
> 


 "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt


		
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