What Is Nieto's Piece About Structural And Organizational Issues In Schools

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I chose to do this reading response on Nieto’s piece about structural and organizational issues in schools. This chapter begins by talking about how many policies and practices that are currently in place in schools tend to become very difficult to change once they become set in the school system. The first policy that is discussed is tracking. Tracking is when students get placed in a group with other students who have around the same ability. The next policy that is discussed is retention. Retention is the practice of holding a student or students back a grade. Retention is often determined based on test scores, which can be detrimental to students. Just like with tracking, teachers believe that they are helping out the student when holding …show more content…

I believe that the strength of the piece was how each section talked about that the teacher believed that they were doing the best for their students, even if it wasn’t the best. This shows that the teacher had the students best interests in mind. It also showed that there are some policies in place that the teachers are expected to follow. This chapter’s argument definitely connects to my experience in my school placement. The main policy that I think of is the Disciplinary structure, and how in the chapter it discussing that students of color are more likely to be the victims of punishment. In my placement, there are two boys who get in trouble every single Friday that I am in the school. These boys are both African American. For the most part, they get in trouble for not paying attention or being rude to the teacher and other students; however, one time, one of the boys got in trouble for wearing his pants to low. He got in trouble because others could see his underwear, but for all we know maybe his parents couldn't afford a belt, or pants that fit correctly, or maybe that is how people in his family wear their