State schools admit they do not push gifted pupils because they don't want to promote 'elitism'

[AlHayatZween 2]

i went to a school with academic tracking, and look how great i turned out!

[Chica Yeyé 41]

i went to a school with academic tracking, and look how great i turned out!

#######... I forgot about your *special* case

[slim 1,533]

I was in the "Program for the Academically Talented" (PAT) at my public school back in the late '80s. We were sent to this special room for a couple hours every day and basically all we did was play Where in the World is Carmen San Diego or The Oregon Trail on old-@$$ Apple IIe computers. When we finally got IBM PCs we spent most of the day pushing that little turtle around and painting stuff.

What a glorious use of tax dollars that was.

Several years later when my little brother was going through the same program and I compared how he was doing nothing but wasting tax dollars like I had done, my mom stepped in to tell us the real reason we were in that class. "The dumb kids argue with other kids and pick fights and disrupt class. The smart kids argue and pick fights... with the teacher."

Come to find out the whole reason we didn't have to sit through Social Studies and the like was not because we were "gifted" it was because we were already questioning the status-quo. Pretty bad when a govt. employee is bested by a 10-year-old. The whole reason they don't run those programs now has nothing to do with promoting elitism, but because those kids now have a way to promote each other and when you give them time to coordinate their actions, and the means to do it, they end up closing the whole system down! Viva la Resistance!

[GabiandVi 34]

I think tracking used to be done from an early age, i.e. subdividing schoolchildren into groups according to their academic achievements. I remember reading and math groups when I was a kid. As far as I'm aware, that's not done as much anymore - too damaging to the self-esteem of those in the "remedial" groups, I imagine.

Meh, our plan is for private school when the time comes.

Still done over here as of 2004, at least in South Florida.

In Chicago there are magnet programs in whole schools. The tracking has been spread out into entire systems so that entire schools are mostly single-level schools of choice. Of course this leaves many children behind at unfunded schools only made worse by unfunded mandates.

Actually, the schools that fail the worst get the most money through Title 1.

Unfortunately, tracking is a dirty word in PC land, and the attitude is more than "skin deep." It affects the curriculum, which in most cases, no matter how you try to spin it, is college prep. The basic curriculum for magnet schools and Title 1 schools in most cases is the same. The electives may differ, but graduate requirements differ little if at all, and the same can be said for the course standards and benchmarks. This results in true elitism where the "cream" is skimmed off so that, while the same basic content is delivered, the actual in-the-class expectations are higher in magnet schools and lower in non-magnet schools.

The better solution would be to allow traditional tracking in elementary, and rewrite curriculum and graduate requirements so that in upper middle and high school, the required courses focus on the absolute basic skills that are neccessary to be successful in society and students are allowed to pursue more meaningful elective courses such as apprenticeship-type courses or college prep courses. Upper level math courses, for example, should only be required in terms of expanding the mind in the same sense as a foreign language. High school literature courses should only be required in the same sense as an art appreciation course should be required.

[AlHayatZween 2]

i went to a school with academic tracking, and look how great i turned out!

#######... I forgot about your *special* case

:lol:

All i know is that i was "first track" with super good grades, and here i am... jack of all trades, master at none... great thinker, but flat broke.

My best friend in high school was "third track," became an electrician, started his own business and is raking in the dough even in a recession...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

i went to a school with academic tracking, and look how great i turned out!

#######... I forgot about your *special* case

:lol:

All i know is that i was "first track" with super good grades, and here i am... jack of all trades, master at none... great thinker, but flat broke.

My best friend in high school was "third track," became an electrician, started his own business and is raking in the dough even in a recession...

Therein lies our charm hermana.... B)

[Niels Bohr 72]

True. My engineering professors were very good at analytical work, but, in terms of a design process they have little experience.

Design Process

Obtain the customer requirements.

Do a requirements review.

Cost, Budget, and Schedule analysis.

Risk Analysis.

Provide multiple solutions and find the one that is a balance.

Do preliminary bill of materials...

the list goes on and on

Edited December 16, 2009 by Niels Bohr

[PlatyPius 5]

Wow...I see a lot of Australian universities in that list. Where's BY?

Where is BY, I have not seen him in a while, hope he's ok.

BY surrendered his membership. He's at Expats driving us all insane now.

[Niels Bohr 72]

What's the EXPATS link?

[AlHayatZween 2]

i went to a school with academic tracking, and look how great i turned out!

#######... I forgot about your *special* case

:lol:

All i know is that i was "first track" with super good grades, and here i am... jack of all trades, master at none... great thinker, but flat broke.

My best friend in high school was "third track," became an electrician, started his own business and is raking in the dough even in a recession...

Therein lies our charm hermana.... B)

i wish i had studied how to be a Trophy Wife.

[Danno 1,228]

Wow...I see a lot of Australian universities in that list. Where's BY?

Where is BY, I have not seen him in a while, hope he's ok.

BY surrendered his membership. He's at Expats driving us all insane now.

I regret he left but I am glad he is still answering his "calling" over at expats

[thongd4me 69]

Definition:

"elitism"

- new code word for "excellence"

[AlHayatZween 2]

Damn... i leave to have a baby and BY skips out ??

[scandal 951]

Damn... i leave to have a baby and BY skips out ??

You had your baby? Congrats :star: !!!

[PlatyPius 5]

What's the EXPATS link?

http://www.expatgroups.com/forums/index.php?act=home