BEP024 – How Do We Rethink Honors Education

In this episode, we define what honors courses are and discuss how we can think about what’s going to be best for students’ success. 01:45 Desire for honors 01:55 How the way it’s played out is counterproductive and works against equity 02:22 While the goal is to differentiate for students, what ends up happening is […]

In this episode, we define what honors courses are and discuss how we can think about what’s going to be best for students’ success.

01:45 Desire for honors

01:55 How the way it’s played out is counterproductive and works against equity

02:22 While the goal is to differentiate for students, what ends up happening is only certain students end up getting access to the kind of rigor and quality of curriculum that we would want for all students.

02:42 You’ll see even in many elementary schools now, there’s like an “accelerated” track… Starting earlier and earlier, we’re separating kids out and saying some kids are in this high track of kids that are going to be really successful, and some kids are on this other track that are not college-bound, they’re not going to be at the most selective colleges

03:19 This whole idea of tracks means that it’s perpetuating gaps without meaning to perpetuate gaps by putting people in buckets too early.

04:05 It’s way too easier to opt out of an honors class than to opt in.

06:00 Teachers’ expectations of students are one of the most important indicators of how students will do in their classroom and how much growth they’ll have.

06:31 Misunderstanding of what rigor is

07:28 Is there other research that shows that there needs to be a potential change in the way that we approach rigor, remediation, acceleration, that sort of stuff?

09:02 The Education Commission of the States

Study on teacher expectations and self-fulfilling prophecy

11:19 What do you think about getting rid of honors, just in this one grade, just to try it out?

12:34 Let’s talk about how we can find a solution for this. What are some of the things that you thought about, that you see in the space that’s being done?

High Tech High

15:04 How often does a student from a regular ed track opt-in to an AP-level course?

15:48 How we think about teaching and learning and assessment within schools

17:12 Takeaway for teachers: Reflect on what expectations they display for their students