Executing Equity: The Dismantling of Tracking in Language Arts Courses at a Public High School in Salt Lake City, Utah

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Recentering the Stories: Teacher Research and In/Equity (Table 12)

Abstract

Current research has shown that students are placed into different tracks within the same school, even though many have scored the same on standardized tests; these placements have also shown to be inextricably tied to race and family status.Through a process of shared governance, a framework of Anti-racist education, and culturally sustaining pedagogy, school leadership fought for the dismantling of the tracking system, the creation of critical curriculum, and the daily battles of negating deficit and racist language surrounding students. In this case study, we seek to deconstruct the events leading up to the dismantling of the tracking system at the school, the attitudes and behaviors of faculty, and notes for next steps in the implementation process.

Authors

• Nicole C. Wilson Steffes, University of Utah & Westminster University

• Katie Nitka, Salt Lake City School District