School Differences in Tracking Structures and Track Assignments

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Abstract
Organizational constraints act on schools to affect decisions governing the establishment of a tracking system and student assignments to tracks. These constraints create across school differences in the structure of tracks and placement policies, producing unequal opportunities for students to learn. School differences in tracking characteristics and policies are examined with longitudinal data from a cohort of students as they advance from eighth through ninth grade. Results document school differences in tracking practices and policies and illustrate the consequences of these differences for student track placement.