AERA's centennial provides an opportunity to reinvigorate the aspirations that gave rise to our research community in the United States: hope and determination that research can strengthen public education, society's most democratic institution. The first AERAers sought to produce scientific knowledge to improve large, increasingly diverse urban…

After reviewing the importance of understanding tracking in terms of academic achievement and educational inequality, this paper describes a study that explored the day to day educational experiences of students in tracked classes and in heterogeneously grouped classes. The investigation focused on curricular content, instructional practices, and…