Tracking, Ability, and SES: Further Evidence on the "Revisionist-Meritocratic Debate"

This paper is concerned with certain criticisms commonly leveled at the practice of high school tracking. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether students are actually assigned to the tracks they select for themselves, whether low-SES pupils are more likely to be "cooled out" of choosing a college track, and whether the net effect of the tracking procedure is to increase the relationship between SES and track placement. We found little evidence to support critics' positions on these matters.