"So the arms race of extracurricular activities and fighting to get Junior accepted by the most prestigious schools will continue" but only until those schools change their selection criteria. Select on skin colour, height or IQ and parents priorities and efforts (so far as they can) will change accordingly.
"So the arms race of extracurricular activities and fighting to get Junior accepted by the most prestigious schools will continue" but only until those schools change their selection criteria. Select on skin colour, height or IQ and parents priorities and efforts (so far as they can) will change accordingly.
The schools benefit from the arms race. Their status is raised and they will probably attract more resources as long as high-status parents are fighting to push their kids up the greasy pole of education.
I recall in NZ about 95% of school students go to state funded schools with that state funding inversely proportional to the 'wealth' of their students.
Most high status schools, like Wellington Boys College, actually receive, combining state funding with donations and their commercial business profits (foreigh students), receive less $ than most high schools educating students from the poorest NZ neighbourhoods. Actually the worst off schools are the mid-ranked (middle class) schools.
You might have overlooked my words about high status parents. The school system in NZ is warped by the obsession with тАШgrammar zonesтАЩ and getting your kids into the тАШrightтАЩ school. Those schools that play the game successfully do well.
"The school system in NZ is warped by the obsession" with 'decile zoning'. These were set up by a Ministry of Education that believes that children are 'blank slates' ie poor children do poorly at school because they are poor (ie poor children are unsuccessful because they are discriminated against by rich people in society).
Real people don't actually believe this. So they (most parents) interpreted the 'deciles' as a sign that high(er) decile schools are more effective schools because their students are ultimately more successful.
The NZ Initiative examined actual school effectiveness (between about 2010 and 2015) and found that it was more or less independent of 'decile' (the best performed schools were a few private (not state funded) schools). Actual effectiveness (ie value add) was a product of school specific characteristics ie quality of Headmaster/school admin and teacher quality.
I think the decile madness supports my point. Parents, especially those ambitious for their children, were desperate for a badge of quality education that supported their desire. They seized on deciles.
Yes, "They [parents] seized on deciles" because the policy makers in the Ministry believed in a model of human nature that has been demonstrably proven wrong by the behaviour of parents.
"So the arms race of extracurricular activities and fighting to get Junior accepted by the most prestigious schools will continue" but only until those schools change their selection criteria. Select on skin colour, height or IQ and parents priorities and efforts (so far as they can) will change accordingly.
The schools benefit from the arms race. Their status is raised and they will probably attract more resources as long as high-status parents are fighting to push their kids up the greasy pole of education.
Umm, you're clearly not referring to NZ schools.
I recall in NZ about 95% of school students go to state funded schools with that state funding inversely proportional to the 'wealth' of their students.
Most high status schools, like Wellington Boys College, actually receive, combining state funding with donations and their commercial business profits (foreigh students), receive less $ than most high schools educating students from the poorest NZ neighbourhoods. Actually the worst off schools are the mid-ranked (middle class) schools.
You might have overlooked my words about high status parents. The school system in NZ is warped by the obsession with тАШgrammar zonesтАЩ and getting your kids into the тАШrightтАЩ school. Those schools that play the game successfully do well.
"The school system in NZ is warped by the obsession" with 'decile zoning'. These were set up by a Ministry of Education that believes that children are 'blank slates' ie poor children do poorly at school because they are poor (ie poor children are unsuccessful because they are discriminated against by rich people in society).
Real people don't actually believe this. So they (most parents) interpreted the 'deciles' as a sign that high(er) decile schools are more effective schools because their students are ultimately more successful.
The NZ Initiative examined actual school effectiveness (between about 2010 and 2015) and found that it was more or less independent of 'decile' (the best performed schools were a few private (not state funded) schools). Actual effectiveness (ie value add) was a product of school specific characteristics ie quality of Headmaster/school admin and teacher quality.
I think the decile madness supports my point. Parents, especially those ambitious for their children, were desperate for a badge of quality education that supported their desire. They seized on deciles.
Don't blame the parents!
Yes, "They [parents] seized on deciles" because the policy makers in the Ministry believed in a model of human nature that has been demonstrably proven wrong by the behaviour of parents.