Schools hdfs 239

College entrance requires certain courses. How do kids meet them? They don't know requirements Parents and teachers don't know requirements Tracking Dornbusch study: Sample is balanced so all ethnic groups are equal in ability and sex Who gets put where? How do they get there? What does it mean for them?   Who gets put where? Tracking by ethnicity large ethnic differences in placement that can't be due to ability Is it SES? higher SES, more likely to be taking college prep courses Does SES explain the ethnic differences? within ethnicity, SES predicts college placement within SES, ethnicity is important Asian is always highest percentage Ethnic gap is biggest in middle and upper class benefits of SES vary by class, with biggest benefits for Whites

Why do they get put in different tracks? 8th grade: Algebra v. Algebra .5 based on negative behavior comments, grades, standardized test scores no evidence for discrimination against African Americans or Hispanics at time of placement some evidence for pro-Asian placement parents can fight placement IF THEY KNOW 31% of African-American and Hispanic students who are in top 50% think they are on college track, but aren't Does tracking matter? You stay in the track you're put in Summary: Neither kids, their parents, nor their teachers really have a good understanding of college entrance requirements. Whether you meet requirements is determined by what track you are in in school. Low SES, African- & Hispanic-Americans are disproportionately likely to be placed in low track courses Although track placement can be changed if parents argue against it, most parents don't realize that their kids have been tracked out of college-bound courses, because the children don't know Track placement is important, because kids of equal ability who start out in different tracks wind up in very different places. Small initial differences can have very large consequences.