Research Paper Outline

Working thesis: Academic tracking and ability grouping may be used to make learning more accessible for all kids, when in fact it widens the gap between the different levels of learning ability.

Introduction/Thesis: Academic tracking or ability grouping is the practice of dividing students into separate groups based on their learning abilities. It is usually used for Math and English classes. More than 95%of middle and high schools in North America employ some form of academic tracking. Academic tracking and ability grouping may be used to make learning more accessible for all kids, when in fact it widens the gap between the different levels of learning ability.

Area of Support 1: Students placed in less academically rigorous courses lose the motivation to work harder and end up falling farther behind. One study showed that 95% of all gifted students ended up attending a college/university as opposed to 56% and 32% of those in regular and special education, respectively.

Area of Support 2: Tracking, especially when done at a younger age, facilitates teachers to practice "labeling" which could unfairly group students based on factors other than their learning ability. Schools tend to become more segregated when tracking is involved. High-track classrooms tend to have a higher rate of white students than black or other students of color, with the exception of Asian students.

Area of Support 3: The better teachers are usually given to the higher level classes, which means that the students that need more help are getting less experienced teachers and are not having their needs met. There are many factors that contribute to one's education and their ability to learn, including teacher competency. Students that are having more difficulty learning need more competent teachers in order to help them focus and learn.

Area of Support 4: Students will work harder if they see others become successful and will try to achieve their own success. Children that have similar ability levels and backgrounds become increasingly different in aspirations and achievements after they are placed in different track levels.

Conclusion: Ability grouping forces the school curriculum to focus more on the advanced learners, when their focus should be spent helping the students that struggle through school. This creates an even bigger gap between the different academic groups and allows for more children to slip through the cracks. Instead, we need to have more reasonable expectations for the students and provide a strong base from which they can learn.

Mask on the Face of Death

I loved reading this article because I felt that there were so many surprising facts that popped up as I kept reading. I was extremely confused at the beginning of the story, but I liked how Richard Selzer began the article in one of the main places where AIDS is spread. It is shocking that the brothels don’t get shut down and even more shocking that people continue to go to them. The prostitutes are clearly in denial because it would be bad for business, even though they are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Haitian men. I was also surprised when I went back to the into and realized that this article was written in 1988. That was 22 years ago, and its shocking that AIDS was so rampant then, and disheartening once you realize that it is definitely more widely spread now.
I liked how this article was written because Selzer was not trying to scare people into avoiding AIDS, but was trying to educate people and get rid of widely-believed myths. When he described the patient’s diseases, he was being factual and was not overly gory like George Orwell was in Shooting an Elephant. The facts that he added in the end of the article were to clarify everything that he had said in the article to make sure that no one took away any false information. I liked that it raised AIDS awareness but did not force the reader to have to donate or scare them into it.
The usage of the Haitian language was also very interesting. Selzer did not make it difficult to understand, but its incorporation made it even clearer that AIDS is extremely prevalent in poorer countries. Some of their lifestyle choices were a little graphic and horrible. If there was more sex education in the country then there would be a smaller outbreak of the AIDS virus. But luckily articles like this make people more aware of dangerous viruses like AIDS.

Unspeakable Conversations

I thought the topic of this essay was very interesting. I agreed with the author that handicapped babies should not be killed. Doing that makes it seem as unfeeling as returning a sweater. Of course I thought the author had some bias considering her position, but it would be completely impossible not to be. I was surprised that Peter Singer actually had that point of view, because he was very kind to Harriet McBryde Johnson the entire time and he seemed like a well-educated man; and that kind of thinking seems like it is for very ignorant people.
Although I felt bad for the author throughout the entire essay, I did not exactly like her. She was rude the entire time. I also felt as though she was trying to jam her opinion down everyone else’s throat the entire time. At one point, she even says, “In fact, no god put anyone anywhere for any reason, if you want to know.” She does not say, “This is my opinion…” but instead forces it onto the readers. She might even alienate some of her readers if they are super religious. However, I couldn’t say that if I was in her position that I wouldn’t be like that. I guess it’s difficult to blame her for being bitter or upset, because she has to deal with a lot to go through the most simple tasks.
I also liked her point that someone’s physical state does not mean that they have a better quality of life. There are plenty of people that are perfectly healthy, but waste their life away on drugs and do not do anything worthwhile. Even though Johnson was severely handicapped, she was a lawyer successful enough to work for an influential organization and lecture at Princeton University, which not many able-bodied people have done.