Access, Detracking, and Tracking Special Interest Group

PROOF POINTS: Gifted programs provide little to no academic boost, new study says A new study raises big questions about whether gifted education benefits the kids who are lucky enough to be in it.

To wit: hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

Mamdani Says He Would Phase Out N.Y.C. Gifted Program for Early Grades

Mamdani Says He Would Phase Out N.Y.C. Gifted Program for Early Grades www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/n...

AEFP "Speed matters when policy windows open." What is your job title? Economic Development & Workforce Systems Manager What is the organization you work for? Seeding Success (Memphis, TN) Tell us about a…

.@aefpweb.bsky.social's Evidence Use Spotlight explores how research guides policy. Ogier's story shows using the Opportunity Atlas to focus educational investments in low-mobility Memphis areas, from early ed to workforce, demonstrating research in action - like our Oakes Award!

What Matters Most in Order to Realize Positive Outcomes for Students With Disabilities? What's the best way for state and local leaders to boost outcomes for students with disabilities and help more students succeed? WestEd experts explore five key strategies that can have a lasting impa...

What Matters Most in Order to Realize Positive Outcomes for Students With Disabilities? www.wested.org/blog/realizi...

Five New Research Grants to Build Theory and Evidence in our Focus Areas - William T. Grant Foundation We are proud to announce five new research grants, totaling over $2.8 million, in support of three studies on ways to reduce inequality in youth outcomes and two studies on strategies for improving th...

🎉 We are proud to announce five new research grants, totaling over $2.8 million, in support of three studies on ways to reduce inequality in youth outcomes and two studies on strategies for improving the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people. https://bit.ly/4nCqq9e

Why Substantively Integrated Schools Matter at This Moment in History The United States today is far from united. The political polarization that’s dividing the electorate can manifest in many ways, but one area where it’s

📢 @tcfdotorg.bsky.social commentary on why schools committed to true integration matter at this moment and are vital for equity, democracy, and healing. It outlines six elements of substantive integration, including equitable resources, inclusive relationships, and civic engagement.

Book cover of Para Power: How Professional Labor Changed Education. Black background with fist holding a pencil

Nick Juravich tonight at Teachers College, on his great new book on “how schools shaped not just individual students through instruction, but also the distribution of employment opportunities, paths for political participation, and the process of community formation in the city.”
#histed #union

Flyer titled “Jeannie Oakes Research into Practice Award: 2026 Call for Nominations” with the AERA SIG: Access, Detracking, and Tracking logo. Text explains that the award is presented annually to a scholar whose rigorous research on tracking or detracking has been put into practice to expand student access. Established in 2024 to honor SIG founder Dr. Jeannie Oakes, the award recognizes her legacy of ensuring research leads to meaningful change and equitable coursework for all students. The flyer notes that nominees should embody Dr. Oakes’s legacy by producing research and translating it into action. Examples include collaborating with districts, contributing to policymaking, or supporting equitable curricular reforms. Award recipients will present their work at the SIG’s business meeting during AERA. Highlighted box: “Call for Nominations NOW OPEN; Deadline December 15.” Anyone may submit a nomination, but self-nominations are not permitted. Application requirements: (1) letter to the committee outlining the nominee’s work, (2) nominee’s CV, and (3) representative example of work in practice. Link provided for submissions: https://bit.ly/3K3G7HZ. Closing line encourages members to recognize and celebrate outstanding scholarship by nominating colleagues. Contact: Constance Clark, SIG Chair, at constance.m.clark@rutgers.edu.

📣 The ADT SIG is excited to announce the Call for the 2026 Jeannie Oakes Research into Practice Award:
1. Award Committee Members (open to SIG members): Deadline: Oct 15
2. Award Nominations (open to all): Deadline: Dec 15
Interested? Please send us a chat for more information!

How Rescue Animals Are Teaching Students Emotional Awareness Field trips to a Florida animal sanctuary have helped students learn compassion.

🐾 From @edweek.org: How rescue animals are helping students develop emotional awareness: At Alaqua Animal Refuge, field trips with rescue animals are helping students connect to others’ experiences, process emotions, and practice empathy, especially in emotionally demanding subjects.

Curriculum Censorship Harms Us All. This Brief Explains Why. An amicus brief filed by the National Academy of Education uses research evidence to argue that a state law that restricts curriculum related to race and sex harms students and—ultimately—democracy it...

An amicus brief filed by the National Academy of Education uses research evidence to argue that a state law that restricts curriculum related to race and sex harms students and—ultimately—democracy itself. bit.ly/3K1yoKu

⏰ Last call, ADT SIG members! Our Back-to-School newsletter deadline is 12pm PT today (Sept 11). Share your news (publications, jobs, grants, events, or personal milestones) by sending us a chat here on BlueSky. Let’s celebrate our community together!

📘 New study on how grade 12 math students experience relationships with teachers and how those relationships relate to achievement. Findings highlight a need for supportive, inclusive classrooms and targeted PD to help teachers form stronger relationships with diverse learners.

High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion) The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.

"Educators should also understand the limitations of research evidence. Rigorous impact evaluations...can only tell us what has worked someplace at some time—not what will work universally for educators facing specific challenges." - @tomdee.bsky.social
www.edweek.org/leadership/o...

📣 The ADT SIG Back-to-School newsletter is coming! We want to celebrate our community's accomplishments and joys!. Have a new publication, job, grant, event, or resource, or a personal milestone like a birthday, new pet, or trip? Send us a chat by EOD tomorrow, Thu, Sept 11th, so we can include it!

📊 From @Rand.org: 5 charts reveal persistent inequities in attendance, engagement, and instructional support across public education. Timely data for anyone working to expand access and rethink opportunity structures.

After Minneapolis mass shooting, two Minnesota leaders push for gun reform After deadly Minneapolis mass shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison push for federal, state and local gun reform.

After deadly Minneapolis mass shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison push for federal, state and local gun reform.

Most Americans support parental opt-out of school curriculum—until they consider the downsides | Brookings Research shows that views on parental opt-outs change when people weigh the costs for teachers, students, and schools.

From @brookings.edu: Most Americans support parental opt-out of school curriculum—until they consider the downsides

A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence on Racial Disproportionality in Special Education This essay provides a two-pronged critical assessment of a subset of the literature on racial disproportionality in special education: that which aims to estimate racial disparities among otherwise…

📄 New study from @annenberginstitute.bsky.social critiques research suggesting Black students are under-identified for special education and warns against oversimplified interpretations. Authors call for caution, better data, and more nuanced inquiry into racial disproportionality.

Housing and School Outcomes Explore the impact of school transportation on student outcomes, enrollment, & equity. Discover how policies & travel modes shape access to education.

Excellent summary of how #HousingPolicy is #EdPolicy in Housing and School Outcomes by Sarah Cordes livehandbook.org/k-12-educati... via @aefplivehandbook.bsky.social

District Leadership for Racial Equity: Lessons From School Systems That Are Closing the Gap School leaders in four districts improved outcomes for students of color through racial equity reform efforts. Their approaches offer insights for education leaders and policymakers aiming to reduce…

📘 LPI's 'District Leadership for Racial Equity' profiles four school leaders who disrupted disparities and improved outcomes for historically marginalized students. Cases show how change is possible when leaders build capacity & commit to equity & opportunity for all students.

📘 What does it take for teachers to move away from fixed ability grouping? Wright and Forrester study follow primary teachers in England as they reflect on their practice, challenge labels, and shift toward more equitable math instruction.

Books for Kids Starting Kindergarten Anxiety, making new friends, learning to share: These 12 titles will prepare young readers for whatever their first day of school may have in store.

📚Loving the @nytimes.com “Back-to-School Reading List for Kindergartners”! It offers a chance to consider what stories affirm young learners’ potential & sense of belonging. What’s on your back-to-school reading list? Share if it's for your syllabus, research, kids, or just for fun!

Rigidity of class ability grouping practices in Australia Inequity in education is pronounced when data is used to form rigid class ability groups. Rigid grouping means that students with backgrounds that disadvantage them in education can be locked into ...

📍What does ability grouping look like in Australian secondary schools? This study reveals deep variation and raises urgent questions about tracking’s reach across subjects, years, and regions. h/t @dchpomeroy.bsky.social

AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series Call for Submissions AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series Call for Submissions

🎓Attn Grad students: @aeraedresearch.bsky.social is accepting submissions for the 2026 Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series in LA! This is a great opportunity to share your research. We'd be thrilled to have reps from our @accessdetracktrack.bsky.social community! Due: Oct 8 buff.ly/XpaEy02

For Decades, the Feds Were the Last, Best Hope for Special Ed Kids. What Happens Now? State-level complaints over disputes with districts have never been as easy as intended. Now, they're all desperate families have left.

For Decades, the Feds Were the Last, Best Hope for Special Ed Kids. What Happens Now? www.the74million.org/article/for-...

The Algebra Gatekeepers How schools deny advanced math to their highest-scoring students

The Algebra Gatekeepers
www.educationprogress.org/p/the-algebr...

This Leader Said All Kids Will Do College-Level Work. What It Took to Get There Jennifer Norrell led an effort to more than double the percentage of high schoolers taking AP in her district.

📘 How can districts expand AP access without reinforcing tracking? This @edweek.org piece highlights how Supt. Jennifer Norrell doubled AP participation by building teacher buy-in, ensuring supports, and setting the expectation that all students can succeed.

📢 From the #EdExchange: #EdWorkingPapers summaries with key takeaways!

A new summary breaks down a study by Daniel Vargas Castaño, Dareem K. Antoine, and Trey Miller on the early effects of Dallas ISD’s opt-out policy for advanced math.

📄 edworkingpapers.com/policy-pract...

How secondary mathematics teachers describe and teach ‘ability’ groups: discursive and non-discursive practices This article examines how teachers with ‘ability’ grouped (set/streamed/tracked) classes describe their students’ learning and behaviour, and how they teach such classes. We draw on teacher and stu...

How secondary mathematics teachers describe and teach ‘ability’ groups: discursive and non-discursive practices. Just out with Dr Jeffery Quaye www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1... @accessdetracktrack.bsky.social

Owen's study finds increasing AP courses mainly benefits non-disadv, White, Asian, & higher-achieving students, worsening disparities. There's little evidence more AP opportunities improve outcomes, except for top stdnts. AP expansion should incl equity supports, not just access buff.ly/fgzfMrg