Of course, we all hope that education provides equal opportunities for every child. Unfortunately, that is not the case
One of the solutions is a detracked class. In the first years of secondary school, pupils with different primary school recommendations are placed together in the same class to switch educational levels more easily later in life. The late bloomer thus gets the chance to develop, pupils experience less workload, and there is more focus on social development. A good idea? That's the question Floris Burgers, an educational anthropologist at uu77, wants to answer.
'Education inequality starts at least as early as primary school'
Burgers examines how social inequality and education are intertwined. 'Of course, we all hope that education provides equal opportunities for every child. Regardless of where you come from, what you look like and how you identify. Unfortunately, that is not the case,' Burgers begins. The Ministry of Education's latest State of Education report highlights this: the primary school recommendation for the first grade is a critical moment when opportunity inequality occurs. For instance, pupils with science-educated parents are likelier to receive a higher recommendation than pupils whose parents did at most an MBO2 education, even if their performance is comparable. So there are more things at play than being a "late bloomer" or "just very insecure". Burgers questions whether the detracked class works well to address these inequalities. After all, what sounds so good on paper, equality in the classroom may turn out differently in practice.
In an ideal world, education is geared to how far a student would like to go, not to what that student should be able to do according to a learning level
Are detracked classes indeed a solution?
'Previous research shows that postponing the level advice promotes equal opportunities, but we do not yet know how detracked classes can help with this,' says Burgers. The structure of the detracked class differs from one school to another. For instance, primary school advice may be more of a factor for teachers at one school than others. These differences can also lead to different results of detracked classes, so this system does not work equally well everywhere. In short, detracked classes need more scientific reinforcement.
Researching education is no desk job
And if you want to know what it's like in detracked classrooms, how students interact with each other and how it affects their school performance, you can't just sit at your desk; you have to get out there and see what happens. How do you do that in a classroom? 'Normally, anthropologists join in the daily routine to experience how something works, but that's a bit more difficult in schools', says Burgers. The researchers cannot simply join gym classes, for instance. 'So as an educational anthropologist, I observe a bit more from the side in this case,' says Burgers. Together with colleagues, he will first study the different detracked classes and how they differ from each other. Then, they will look at how students develop individually. They will pay attention to motivation, self-confidence and learning performance. 'By combining our insights, we aim to demonstrate how detracked classes are structured differently in schools and how these differences can both benefit and challenge equity. This approach will help us identify the key factors contributing to success.'
Instead of organising your school career at one level, you can do it per subject and work towards a tailor-made diploma, for example
Towards a more equitable school system
'In an ideal world, education is geared to how far a student would like to go, not to what that student should be able to do according to a learning level. Maybe abandoning primary school advice altogether is not such a bad idea,' says Burgers. Instead of organising your school career at one level, you can do it per subject and work towards a tailor-made diploma, for example. Detracked classes have great potential to contribute to this, but first, we must know the success factors. This is how we work towards a more flexible and equitable education system that matches each pupil's unique talents and ambitions. Regardless of where you come from, what you look like and how you identify.
