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Homogene klassen, tracking, voordelig voor zowel zwakkere als sterkere leerlingen - Recente studies

Deel 1. Does Sorting Students Improve Scores? Jawel!An Analysis of Class Composition
Courtney A. Collins, Li Gan NBER Working Paper No. 18848Issued in February 2013 NBER Program(s): ED

The net effect of sorting (=homogene klassen) is beneficial for both high and low performing students.
This paper ...examines schools decisions to sort students into different classes and how those sorting processes impact student achievement. There are two potential effects that result from schools creating homogeneous classesa tracking effect, which allows teachers to direct their focus to a more narrow range of students, and a peer effect, which causes a particular students achievement to be influenced by the quality of peers in his classroom. In schools with homogeneous sorting, both the tracking effect and the peer effect should benefit high performing students. However, the effects would work in opposite directions for a low achieving student; he would benefit from the tracking effect, but the peer effect should decrease his score. This paper seeks to determine the net effect for low performing students in order to understand the full implications of sorting on all students.

We use a unique student-level data set from Dallas Independent School District that links students to their actual classes and reveals the entire distribution of students within a classroom. We find significant variation in sorting practices across schools and use this variation to identify the effect of sorting on student achievement. Implementing a unique instrumental variables approach, we find that sorting homogeneously by previous performance significantly improves students math and reading scores. This effect is present for students across the score distribution, suggesting that the net effect of sorting is beneficial for both high and low performing students. We also explore the effects of sorting along other dimensions, such as gifted and talented status, special education status, and limited English proficiency.

Deel 2

School Choice and the Distributional Effects of Ability Tracking: Does Separation Increase Inequality? ☆ NEEN!
David N. Figlioa, b, Marianne E. Pagec
When we account for the possibility that tracking programs affect school choice, we find evidence that they may help low-ability childre

http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/juec.2001.2255

Abstract
Tracking programs have been criticized on the grounds that they harm disadvantaged children. The bulk of empirical research supports this view, but existing studies compare outcomes across students placed in different tracks. Track placement is likely to be endogenous with respect to student outcomes. We use a new strategy for overcoming the endogeneity of track placement and find no evidence that tracking hurts low-ability children. Previous studies have also been based on the assumption that students' enrollment decisions are unrelated to whether or not the school tracks. When we account for the possibility that tracking programs affect school choice, we find evidence that they may help low-ability childre
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