Students' perspectives on tracking and detracking

Detracking has been described as an equity-minded reform, that attempts to level the playing field among students of different socio-economic, racial, and linguistic groups. Yet few people have talked to students about their perspectives regarding this reform, and the challenges students may face when schools reduce the number or levels of differentiated courses. In this article, the authors use student focus group data gathered at 12 schools implementing detracking reforms from 2000-2002 to explore how students make sense of tracking practices and equity-minded policies to reduce tracking at their schools. At the core of this sense-making process is the notion that students' understandings of meritocracy, intelligence, and stratification influence their perceptions of tracking and detracking practices. The authors also discuss how students' beliefs about such topics can inform educators' and policymakers' approaches to equity-minded reforms such as detracking.