Noguera, P. A., Sadowski, M., Fowler-Finn, T., & Tatum, B. D. (2008). Joaquin’s Dilemma. In M. Sadowski (Ed.), Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity, and Education
“In addition to reinforcing stereotypes, grouping practices, which teachers and administrators often say are not based on race but on ability or behavior, often have the effect of reinforcing racial separation. Unless the adults in a school are conscious of how this separation influences their own perceptions and those of students, over time this separation may be regarded as normal. For example, black students may assume that, because there are no black students in advanced or honors courses, they cannot excel academically. Of course, black students can distinguish themselves in sports, because there are numerous examples of black individuals who do. Similarly, white students may assume that they should not seek academic assistance from tutorial programs, especially if those programs primarily serve black or brown students. When these kinds of norms associated with race take on a static and determining quality, they can be very difficult to counteract.”
I hated school. I drove to my high school graduation listening to Alice Coopers’ “Schools Out” on the radio, and promised that I would never set foot in a school again. Now, I find myself preparing to be a teacher and reflecting on that promise. The grouping described in the above passage was a large factor. I went to a smaller high school. My senior year, I had class with more or less the same 30 students. I witnessed two friends, the only African American student in the AP program and a student from the poorest part of town, struggle with teachers’ slights and assumptions that essential information was ‘common knowledge’. The reason that I chose foreign language education is that those classes seemed less affected by academic grouping. In my lower level Spanish classes we worked in groups of mixed academic levels. With each other’s encouragement and support, we all advanced together. Students should have the opportunity to form relationships with people different from themselves and to encourage each other’s growth. Academic grouping often discourages or even makes this impossible. School should be a place of inclusion, not alienation. If this were the case perhaps Cooper’s song would be a lament instead of a rock anthem.
I used to be a Chinese teacher working in an international school in Hong Kong. I was responsible to teach from grade 1 to grade 8. My students were literally coming from everywhere around the world, Canada, Australia, India, Zimbabwe, and China, just to name a few. English is the official instructional language used in the school. Mandarin was taught as a foreign language, and it was mandated for all students. Academic grouping is one of the most important strategies Chinese teachers used to enhance students’ learning. Every new student was required take oral and written exams specifically designed to classify students into appropriate levels. The current students also needed to be tested at the end of each academic year to help teachers better adjust their learning levels for the next academic year. All the tests were non-ethnic biased. Even Asian students who are new to Mandarin needed to start from the rudimentary level. Except the highest level which was usually dominated by Asian students, the others were a blend of students of various backgrounds. Although Asians dominated the school population, they had never ever regarded themselves or been treated by others as superior. Students with different ethnic backgrounds mingled extremely well in and outside the school. No achievement gap would be noticed between black students and other ethnics. And it was certainly not uncommon to see black students surpass Asian students who are new to Mandarin and without parental support.
They had been given every right to enjoy school every single day.