3,225
Views
37
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

On the Wrong Track: How Tracking is Associated with Dropping Out of High School

, &
Pages 270-284 | Published online: 09 May 2013

REFERENCES

  • Akos , P. , Lambie , G. , Milsom , A. and Gilbert , K. 2007 . Early adolescents’ aspirations and academic tracking: An exploratory investigation . Professional School Counseling , 11 ( 1 ) : 57 – 64 .
  • Alexander , K. L. , Cook , M. and McDill , E. L. 1978 . Curriculum tracking and educational stratification: Some further evidence . American Sociological Review , 43 ( 1 ) : 47 – 66 .
  • Alexander , K. L. , Entwisle , D. R. and Horsey , C. S. 1997 . From first grade forward: Early foundations of high school dropout . Sociology of Education , 70 : 87 – 107 .
  • Alpert , B. and Bechar , S. 2008 . School organizational efforts in search for alternatives to ability grouping . Teaching and Teacher Education , 24 ( 6 ) : 1599 – 1612 .
  • Ansalone , G. 2001 . Schooling, tracking, and inequality . Journal of Children and Poverty , 7 ( 1 ) : 33 – 47 .
  • Ansalone , G. 2009 . Exploring unequal achievement in the schools: The social construction of failure , Lanham , MD : Lexington .
  • Ansalone , G. and Biafora , F. 2004 . Elementary school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to the educational structure of tracking . Education , 125 ( 2 ) : 249 – 258 .
  • Archambault , I. , Janosz , M. , Fallu , J. and Pagani , L. 2009 . Student engagement and its relationship with early high school dropout . Journal of Adolescence , 32 ( 3 ) : 651 – 670 .
  • Archbald , D. and Farley-Ripple , E. 2012 . Predictors of placement in lower level versus higher level high school mathematics . The High School Journal , 96 ( 1 ) : 33 – 51 .
  • Blanchett , W. J. 2006 . Disproportionate representation of African American students in special education: Acknowledging the role of white privilege and racism . Educational Researcher , 35 ( 6 ) : 24 – 28 .
  • Bowers , A. J. 2010a . Analyzing the longitudinal K-12 grading histories of entire cohorts of students: Grades, data driven decision making, dropping out and hierarchical cluster analysis . Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation , 15 ( 7 ) : 1 – 18 .
  • Bowers , A. J. 2010b . Grades and graduation: A longitudinal risk perspective to identify student dropouts . The Journal of Educational Research , 103 : 191 – 207 .
  • Bowers , A. J. and Sprott , R. 2012 . Examining the multiple trajectories associated with dropping out of high school: A growth mixture model analysis . Journal of Educational Research , 105 ( 3 ) : 176 – 195 .
  • Brand , S. , Felner , R. , Shim , M. , Seitsinger , A. and Dumas , T. 2003 . Middle school improvement and reform: Development and validation of a school-level assessment of climate, cultural pluralism and school safety . Journal of Educational Psychology , 95 : 570 – 588 .
  • Bridgeland , J. M. , Dilulio , J. J. Jr. and Morison , K. B. 2006, March . The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts A report by Civil Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Retrieved from http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/research/silentepidemic_HSdropouts
  • Brunello , G. and Checchi , D. 2007 . Does school tracking affect equality of opportunity? New international evidence . Economic Policy , 22 ( 52 ) : 781 – 861 .
  • Bryne , B. M. 1988 . Adolescent self-concept, ability grouping, and social comparison: Reexamining academic track differences in high school . Youth and Society , 20 ( 1 ) : 46 – 67 .
  • Chiu , D. , Beru , Y. , Wately , E. , Wubu , S. , Simson , E. , Kessinger , R. , Rivera , A. , Schmidein , P. and Widfield , A. 2008 . Seventh-grade students’ self-beliefs and social comparisons . Journal of Educational Research , 102 ( 2 ) : 125 – 136 .
  • Danielsen , A. G. , Wiium , N. , Wilhelmsen , B. U. and Wold , B. 2010 . Perceived support provided by teachers and classmates and students’ self-reported academic initiative . Journal of School Psychology , 48 ( 13 ) : 247 – 267 .
  • Dauber , S. L. , Alexander , K. L. and Entwisle , D. R. 1996 . Tracking and transitions through the middle grades: Channeling educational trajectories . Sociology of Education , 69 : 290 – 307 .
  • Fortin , L. , Marcotte , D. , Potvin , P. , Royer , E. and Joly , J. 2006 . Typology of students at risk of dropping out of school: Description by personal, family and school factors . European Journal of Psychology of Education , 21 ( 4 ) : 363 – 383 .
  • Gamoran , A. and Berends , M. 1987 . The effects of stratification in secondary schools: Synthesis of survey and ethnographic research . Review of Educational Research , 57 ( 4 ) : 415 – 435 .
  • Goddard , R. D. , Sweetland , S. R. and Hoy , W. K. 2000 . Academic emphasis of urban elementary schools and student achievement in reading and mathematics: A multilevel analysis . Educational Administration Quarterly , 36 ( 5 ) : 683 – 702 .
  • Graham , J. W. , Cumsille , P. E. and Elvira , E. F. 2003 . “ Methods for handling missing data ” . In Handbook of psychology: Volume 2 Research methods in psychology , Edited by: Weiner , I. B. , Schinka , J. A. and Velicer , W. F. 87 – 114 . New York , NY : John Wiley & Sons .
  • Hallinan , M. T. 1990 . The effects of ability grouping in secondary schools: A response to Slavin's best-evidence synthesis . Review of Educational Research , 60 ( 3 ) : 501 – 504 .
  • Hallinan , M. T. 2003 . “ Ability grouping and student learning ” . In Brookings Papers on Educational Policy , Edited by: Ravitch , D. 95 – 124 . Washington , DC : Brookings Institute, Brown Center on Educational Policy .
  • Hanushek , E. A. and Wöβmann , L. 2006 . Does educational tracking affect performance and inequality? Differences-in-differences evidence across countries . The Economic Journal , 116 ( 510 ) : C63 – C76 .
  • Heck , R. H. 2006 . Assessing school achievement progress: Comparing alternative approaches . Educational Administration Quarterly , 42 ( 5 ) : 667 – 699 .
  • Hox , J. J. 2002 . Multilevel analysis: Techniques and applications , Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum .
  • Hoy , W. K. and Hannum , J. W. 1997 . Middle school climate: An empirical assessment of organizational health and student achievement . Educational Administration Quarterly , 33 ( 3 ) : 290 – 311 .
  • Hoy , W. , Sweetland , S. and Smith , P. 2002 . Toward an organizational model of achievement in high schools: The significance of collective efficacy . Educational Administration Quarterly , 33 ( 1 ) : 77 – 93 .
  • Hoy , W. K. , Tarter , C. J. and Bliss , J. R. 1990 . Organizational climate, school health, and effectiveness: A comparative analysis . Educational Administration Quarterly , 26 ( 3 ) : 260 – 279 .
  • Hoy , W. K. , Tarter , C. J. and Hoy , A. W. 2006 . Academic optimism of schools: A force for student achievement . American Educational Research Journal , 43 ( 3 ) : 425 – 446 .
  • Kelly , S. 2004 . Do increased levels of parental involvement account for the social class differences in track placement? . Social Science Research , 33 ( 4 ) : 626 – 659 .
  • Kelly , S. 2009 . The black-white gap in mathematics course taking . Sociology of Education , 82 ( 1 ) : 47 – 69 .
  • Kelly , S. and Price , H. 2011 . The correlates of tracking policy: Opportunity hoarding, status competition, or a technical-functional explanation? . American Educational Research Journal , 48 ( 3 ) : 560 – 585 .
  • Lee , V. E. and Smith , J. B. 1996 . Collective responsibility for learning and its effects on gains in achievement for early secondary school students . American Journal of Education , 104 ( 2 ) : 103 – 147 .
  • Lee , V. E. and Smith , J. B. 1997 . High school size: Which works best and for whom? . Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis , 19 ( 3 ) : 205 – 228 .
  • Lee , V. E. and Smith , J. B. 2001 . Restructuring high schools for equity and excellence: What works , New York , NY : Teachers College Press .
  • Lessard , A. , Butler-Kisber , L. , Fortin , L. , Marcotte , D. , Potvin , P. and Royer , E. 2008 . Shades of disengagement: High school dropouts speak out . Social Psychology of Education , 11 ( 1 ) : 25 – 42 .
  • LeTendre , G. K. , Hofer , B. K. and Shimizu , H. 2003 . What is tracking? Cultural expectations in the United States, Germany, and Japan . American Educational Research Journal , 40 ( 1 ) : 43 – 89 .
  • Loveless , T. 1999 . The tracking wars. State reform meets school policy , Washington , DC : Brookings Institution Press .
  • Loveless , T. 2009 . Tracking and detracking: High achievers in Massachusetts middle schools Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED507543.pdf
  • MacNeil , A. J. , Prater , D. L. and Busch , S. 2009 . The effects of school culture and climate on student achievement . International Journal of Leadership , 12 ( 1 ) : 73 – 84 .
  • McKown , C. and Weinstein , R. S. 2008 . Teacher expectations, classroom context, and the achievement gap . Journal of School Psychology , 46 ( 3 ) : 235 – 261 .
  • Mickelson , R. A. and Everett , B. J. 2008 . Neotracking in North Carolina: How high school courses of study reproduce race and class-based stratification . Teachers College Record , 110 ( 3 ) : 535 – 570 .
  • Mulkey , L. , Catsambis , S. , Steelman , L. C. and Hanes-Ramos , M. 2009 . Keeping track or getting offtrack: Issues in the tracking of students . International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching , 21 : 1081 – 1100 .
  • National Center for Educational Statistics . 2005 . Education Longitudinal Study of 2002: Base Year to First Follow-up Data File Documentation NCES 2006-344 Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp? pubid=2006344
  • Nomi , T. 2010 . The effects of within-class ability grouping on academic achievement in early elementary years . Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness , 3 ( 1 ) : 56 – 92 .
  • Oakes , J. 1987 . Tracking in secondary schools: A contextual perspective . Educational Psychologist , 21 ( 2 ) : 129 – 153 .
  • Oakes , J. 2005 . Keeping track: How schools structure inequality (2nd ed.) , New Haven , CT : Yale University Press .
  • Osterman , K. F. 2000 . Students’ need for belonging in the school community . Review of Educational Research , 70 ( 3 ) : 323 – 367 .
  • Phillips , M. 1997 . What makes schools effective? A comparison of the relationship of communitarian climate and academic climate to mathematics achievement and attendance during middles school . American Educational Research Journal , 34 ( 3 ) : 633 – 662 .
  • Pittman , R. B. and Haughwout , P. 1987 . Influence of high school size on dropout rate . Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis , 9 ( 4 ) : 337 – 343 .
  • Plank , S. B. , DeLuca , S. and Estacion , A. 2008 . High school dropout and the role of career and technical education: A survival analysis of surviving high school . Sociology of Education , 81 ( 4 ) : 345 – 370 .
  • Raudenbush , S. W. and Bryk , B. 2002 . Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.) , Thousand Oaks , CA : Sage .
  • Riehl , C. , Pallas , A. M and Natriello , G. 1999 . Rites and wrongs: Institutional explanations for the students’ course-scheduling process in urban high schools . American Journal of Education , 107 ( 2 ) : 116 – 154 .
  • Rosenbaum , J. E. 2000 . If tracking is bad, is detracking better? . American Educator , 23 ( 4 ) : 24 – 29 .
  • Rubin , B. C. 2006 . Tracking and detracking: Debates, evidence, and best practices for a heterogeneous world . Theory into Practice , 45 ( 1 ) : 4 – 14 .
  • Rubin , B. C. and Noguera , P. A. 2004 . Tracking detracking: Sorting through the dilemmas and possibilities of detracking in practice . Equity & Excellence in Education , 37 : 92 – 101 .
  • Schofield , J. W. 2010 . International evidence on ability grouping with curriculum differentiation and the achievement gap in secondary schools . Teachers College Record , 112 ( 5 ) : 1492 – 1528 .
  • Shouse , R. 1996 . Academic press and sense of community: Conflict, congruence, and implications for student achievement . Social Psychology of Education , 1 : 46 – 68 .
  • Slavin , R. E. 1987a . Ability grouping and student achievement in elementary schools: A best-evidence synthesis . Review of Educational Research , 57 ( 3 ) : 293 – 336 .
  • Slavin , R. E. 1987b . Grouping for instruction in the elementary school . Educational Psychologist , 22 ( 2 ) : 109 – 127 .
  • Slavin , R. E. 1990 . Achievement effects of ability grouping in secondary schools: A best-evidence synthesis . Review of Educational Research , 60 ( 3 ) : 471 – 499 .
  • Solórzano , D. G. and Ornelas , A. 2002 . A critical race analysis of advanced placement classes: A case of educational inequality . Journal of Latinos and Education , 1 ( 4 ) : 215 – 229 .
  • Stewart , E. B. 2007 . Individual and school structural effects on African American high school students’ academic achievement . The High School Journal , 91 ( 2 ) : 16 – 34 .
  • Stillwell , R. and Sable , J. 2013 . Public school graduates and dropouts from the common core of data: School year 2009-10 , National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES 2013-309) .
  • Strayhorn , T. L. 2009 . “ Accessing and analyzing national databases ” . In Handbook of data-based decision making in education , Edited by: Kowalski , T. J. and Lasley , T. J. 105 – 122 . New York , NY : Routledge .
  • Urick , A. and Bowers , A. J. 2011 . What influences principal perception of academic climate? A nationally representative study of the direct effects of perception on climate . Leadership and Policy in Schools , 10 ( 3 ) : 1 – 27 .
  • Urick , A. and Bowers , A. J. How does principal perception of academic climate measure up? The impact of principal perceptions on student academic climate and achievement in high school . Journal of School Leadership , in press
  • Welner , K. and Burris , C. C. 2006 . Alternative approaches to the politics of detracking . Theory into Practice , 45 ( 1 ) : 90 – 99 .
  • Werblow , J. and Duesbery , L. 2009 . The impact of high school size on math achievement and dropout rate . The High School Journal , 92 ( 3 ) : 14 – 23 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.