Business Meeting Minutes

SIG: Tracking/Detracking

AERA: San Francisco

Date: Monday, April 10, 2006

Meeting #1

Moscone West, Room 2005

Meeting began at 6:20 p.m.

Agenda:

I. Welcome and Introductions

II. Vote on Bylaws of the SIG

III. Election of Officers

IV. Vote on 2007 Program Criteria

V. Increasing Membership

VI. Vision for our SIG

Guest speakers:

Carol Burris

Jeannie Oakes

Hugh Mehan

Joan Cone

Whole-group discussion

1. Maika handed out the Agenda, thanked us for being there and asked each participant to briefly introduce themselves. (18 present)
2. A copy of the Bylaws of the AERA Special Interest Group (SIG) Tracking and Detracking was handed out. Maika asked everyone to read it and comment or ask questions on it.
• Art. IX, Section 2: “or posted on email for 7 days” was added to the end of Section 2.
• There was some discussion about changing the title of our SIG to include the word “grouping;” in the end, members agreed to leave the title as is with the possibility of revising the title and bylaws at a later date.
• Art. 5 – Maika raised the possibility of including practitioner members who were not also AERA members, who could be part of listserve discussions. She will find out how other SIGs handle memberships from non-AERA members.
• Art. IV- Purpose: There was some discussion about our purpose. Suggestions included adding in an emphasis on teacher training (“teacher educators” was added to the purpose), and specifying tracking at the K-16 level.

• Maika suggested moving to point VI in the agenda since a discussion of a vision for the SIG could facilitate voting on any changes to the bylaws.

VI. Vision for our SIG:

Carol Burris (via video) reflected on her experience as principal of South Side High School, a detracked school. She commented that it had been a lonely process to detrack, and wished that there had been a network of detracking schools that she could have contacted during the process. She hoped that the new SIG would allow detracking schools to network, along the model of the Coalition of Essential Schools, to support one another, disseminate data and share strategies and best practices. She indicated that information about detracking schools should be available on line to all those interested (school teachers, principals, parents, district supervisors, etc.).

Jeannie Oakes mentioned that she was excited about the formation of a SIG on tracking and detracking issues because the SIG could be a place where researchers and practitioners could engage in discussions about tracking and detracking, issues that cross multiple divisions at AERA. She was excited that there was what appeared to be a new generation of researchers examining tracking and detracking issues.

Hugh (Bud) Mehan spoke of his work at the Preuss School, a school that enrolls all of its students, who must be from low-income families, in one single college-prep track. He envisioned the SIG fostering dialogue on research, connecting practitioners, and developing networks of affiliation. He also encouraged work attached to the process of detracking.

Joan Cone emphasized the importance of teaching pre-service and new teachers how to teach in untracked classes. She hoped that this SIG would be a place for researchers to share work on the equity of detracking, as well as best practices in detracked classrooms. She hoped that word would get out about our group because those interested in detracking might otherwise feel lonely and fragile. She agreed that a website would facilitate reaching these goals.

Maika summarized themes from the speakers, and other members at the meeting, suggesting that between AERA meetings, the website would serve as a place to begin the process of actualizing our purpose. The website will have 5 main sections:

1. Research – links to articles on tracking and detracking

2. Practice – links to schools engaging in detracking reform, links to comprehensive school reform initiatives where detracking is part of the process (e.g., Coalition of Essential Schools), links to “best practices” articles

3. Teacher training – links to how to engage pre-service and in-service teachers about tracking and detracking issues.

4. Inventory of SIG members and their areas of interest related to tracking and detracking. One of the SIG members (Hugh Mehan? Martin Lipton?) suggested that SIG members send in a brief biographical sketch that could be posted online: What work are you doing? How does it relate to tracking and detracking?

5. List-serve – a place to discuss our definitions of words such as tracking, detracking, curriculum differentiation, untracking; a place to discuss the influence of high-stakes testing on detracking schools; a place to discuss the tracking of English Language learners.

Maika moved to vote to accept the Bylaws as they were with the understanding that they could be revisited and amended in the future. Bud seconded the motion. Result of the vote: unanimous.

3. Biographical sketches of those interested in holding a position were passed out.
• Chairperson: Maika Watanabe
• Program Chair: Megan Staples
• Membership Chair: Barbara Bleyaert
• Treasurer/Secretary: Rosa Roman-Perez
• Web Manager: Marshall Perry and Colette Cann

The positions were opened to the floor for write-ins; no one volunteered. There were two candidates for the Web manager position and Maika moved to accept both as co-chairs. Other members at the meeting agreed. Hugh moved to elect the officers and all members present at the meeting voted in favor of the new officers. Note: Since the meeting, Colette Cann withdrew her application. She had had a very “full plate” to begin with but wanted to volunteer to support the efforts of the new SIG since no one else had volunteered. With Marshall’s interest, however, Colette decided to withdraw her application.

IV. Program Criteria

Megan Staples presented a draft of the 2007 Program Criteria. There was some discussion about whether some of the criteria were not as friendly to practitioners. In the end, however, with the understanding that practitioners would likely submit proposals with AERA members, members at the meeting accepted the Review Criteria unanimously, with the understanding that the criteria could be revisited after a year.

Megan Staples reported that the allotment of “substantive” sessions to SIGs had changed for the 2007 annual meeting. SIGs will be allotted sessions mainly based on the number of proposals submitted to the SIG; membership counts will also be considered in the final allotment. Therefore, it is important that we encourage membership AND the submission of proposals to our SIG.

V. Membership: As of the meeting date, 25 members had joined the SIG. In order to stay viable, we need at least 30 members by June, 2006. Barbara Bleyaert presented various ideas on how to increase membership such as networking with other SIGs (e.g., Social Justice, Paulo Freire, Ivan Illich, Sociology of Education). Jeannie Oakes suggested that we include recognition of the SIG in notes in our published work so that other researchers interested in tracking and detracking would become aware of the SIG. Bud Mehan suggested purchasing gift SIG memberships to graduate students doing work in this field.

Maika moved to adjourn the meeting and Bud seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

• Snacks and refreshments were provided by Maika.