Final answer:
To support a struggling pupil, providing extra support and tutoring is recommended over punitive or exclusionary tactics. Sorting students can entrench socioeconomic divisions, and educational improvement may be sought through a variety of proposals often centered around accountability and choice.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering how to help a pupil who is struggling compared to their peers, the best approach would be to provide extra support and tutoring. This strategy addresses the individual needs of the student and can help bridge the gap between their current performance and that of their peers. Contrarily, ignoring the pupil, separating them from the class, or punishing them for poor performance are not effective methods and can actually exacerbate the situation, causing further alienation and demotivation.
Conflict theorists would argue that the act of sorting students can perpetuate divisions of socioeconomic status, as it often reflects and reinforces existing inequalities, rather than addressing the individual needs of struggling students or truly promoting meritocracy. Moreover, grading systems based on competition may not account for the varying factors influencing student performance such as presence in class, innate ability, and work ethic.
To improve educational outcomes, several proposals can be explored, albeit with varying degrees of evidence supporting their effectiveness. These include regular student testing, rewarding high-performing teachers or schools, requiring additional teacher training, allowing for public school choice, enabling the creation of new schools by teachers and parents, and implementing school vouchers for use at public or private institutions.