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"TRACKING"... in Alabama's PUBLIC Schools Selected from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
Posted here 5/2/02; slight revisions 5/20/02; 7/02; 9/02; 10/02; 12/02; 1/03; 3/1/03; 3/03; 7/03; 10/03; 12/03; 8/04; 9/04; 2/04; 3/05; 11/25/05 See related titles, from this website, linked below: SEE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Alabama (link) AND: TAJ MAJAL Public Schools (link) AND: EBONICS and ALBONICS (link) AND: MORE Local TAX from productive citizens (link) AND: RACISM, and anti-Racism (link) AND: SANTA CLAUS and ROBIN HOOD; what would they do about TAXES? (link) AND: MUTUAL Involvement FOUNDATION for Education (M.I.F.F.E.D.) (link) AND: A+ COALITION for Education (link) AND: LABORATORY-public school, managed by a college (link) AND: The INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY LINE (link) CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author The following opinion-piece, by John N. Todd III, was published in the Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1993 (slightly modified for this Internet version). I want to respond to the T. News article (5-20-93) concerning Ms. S.T.'s address to the NAACP, in which she criticized "tracking" of students in public schools. Ms. S.T. was quoted as referring to "tracking" as "legal segregation"; because, in her opinion, more "black kids" than "white kids" were found in the "low-ability" group. She stated that "equal educational opportunity" should be the goal.... rather than "educational excellence". (Gee whiz!) My points are as follows: "Tracking" has nothing-at-all to do with skin color. (See link RACISM, and anti-Racism.) "Tracking" has evolved in schools, all over the world, in order to benefit students, according to their capabilities..... not to punish them. Schools are designed and utilized to educate students -- not to entertain them; and not to serve as "day-care centers", or reformatories.... or political institutions for "social change". Evaluation and ranking of scholastic achievement is not cynically designed, by public schools, to low-rate the students of a certain "color". "Tracking" is utilized universally, in the evaluation of any group of individuals, whether in K-12 public schools.... or later, in college.... or in the work-place, where the reality of genuine ability is necessarily ascertained. There is a sad deceit in any system that attempts to convince an individual (of any "color") that he is a superior achiever, if indeed he is only ordinary. Like it or not: "tracking" is a part of this life.... in this world. In all schools, there will be "tracking-up"; or there will be "tracking-down". "Tracking down" requires that talented students gaze out the window, and twiddle-their-thumbs.... while they wait for slower students to catch-on.... and catch-up. (Isn't it obviously true, as someone awkwardly stated: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste.") Intellectual and vocational skills, like physical characteristics, vary widely. Everyone readily accepts athletic "tracking" in our public schools. (Otherwise, there would be more "white" basketball players.) Tracking is also encouraged in order to enhance musical talents, and various art forms.... and tracking is obvious in ALL professional training. Ms. S.T. should realize that we human-beings are not all the same. We cannot (and should not) be "batched" together into one rigid mold. What remedies does Ms. T. suggest in consideration of this wide "diversity" of talents and capabilities among us humans? 11/25/05 |