Quote of the Day:
"Our city schools will soon be forced to give up the exceedingly democratic idea that all are equal, and our society devoid of classes . . . and to begin a specialization of educational effort along many lines."
- Ellwood P. Cubberly, school reformer, 1909.

I am currently student-teaching in a middle school in Suburbia, New Jersey where the tracking of students is starting to slowly irritate me.  A number of educational and sociology professional have already commented at great length about the negetive effect of tracking. 

Tracking lends itself to a racist segregation of students.  Low track students are not given the same opportunities that high track students receive.  They recieve less qualified teachers, fewer academic classes, a 'dumbed-down' curriculum, and less money.

In my own limited experience I have noticed this:

High track students don't necessarily belong there.  In my Suburbia Middle School, about half the students in G&T (Gifted and Talented) should not be there.  They qualify because their brother/sister was there.  Their test scores are high, but their academic scores are low.  They cannot do the work, or they feel they don't have to because they are 'too smart'.  Its also nearly impossible to give them anything below a B (even a B is hard to give) because of pressure from parents.  Even though half the class deserves a C, they won't see it.

On the other hand, low track students are taught to do poorly.  Its expected.  They are the 'dumb' class - no joke, I've heard a teacher call classes dumb, stupid, or worthless.  When I taught these students, I expected all of them to do well.  'I don't know,' 'I don't care,' or 'I'm too dumb' don't cut it with me.  Strangely enough.. all the 'dumb' kids got A's and B's from me.  Go figure.