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I obviously can’t speak for the country as a whole, but at least in Milwaukee the schools in those areas are often fine to great, it’s the “school report cards”

I obviously can’t speak for the country as a whole, but at least in Milwaukee the schools in those areas are often fine to great, it’s the “school report cards” that are terrible. The number one predictor of a school’s rating is the average income of its parents. Broadly speaking a rich kid at a mid-tier school will do just as well as a rich kid in a “good” school. City schools have poor kids and lower average test scores, but I don’t know anyone who chose the city schools by me and has regretted it.

deleted 6y ago
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bradlys 6y ago
> Broadly speaking a rich kid at a mid-tier school will do just as well as a rich kid in a “good” school. This is somewhat true but it's missing a component I didn't realize was as important - you're getting relationships/networking even at these "good" schools. I know that sounds stupid but being around people of high socioeconomic status helps you learn unspoken signals and norms. On top of that - your peers will likely be going into high paying professions and will be able to help you make your way into that profession as well. Some people I know who went to these rich kid schools are happy that they did because it helped them. I rarely meet people who were like, "Yeah, going to that rich kid school was pointless. It had literally no effect on my life." I used to think I could just parent/teach my way out of any shit school and then I've watched my friends have kids. There's too much social stuff that can't be made up for by parents. I'd be especially wary of putting a kid in a poor school. If you go to a poor school (rated or, especially, funded) then you will have to put in a lot more effort as a parent to get satisfactory results - and likely your kid will lose all childhood friendships as they age. People in poor schools frequently don't break out. If you're putting in the effort or your child is just generally exceptional then they'll break out... Which means they're leaving everyone behind and forging a path that none of their peers have done. It makes for an isolated experience and a really difficult one. If you've done it - great, you can help your kid but is that enjoyable? The programs for children who would be average or above average at a good school frequently don't exist at poor schools. Think AP courses, college credit, computer classes, advanced math and english, foreign language options, etc. I know because I had to go to a school that could only afford 4 days a week and that had to cut almost every elective. I've stayed in contact with no one from that region because... well, there's not much of a point. I haven't spoken to anyone from that school in close to 10 or so years and I'm not even 30. That said - if you or your kid has no large ambitions or only ones that /somehow/ don't rely on any social components at all then it doesn't matter.
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  People find Brave New World's Betas and Gammas[1] to be evidence of dystopia, but my observation of the US school system is that by moving[2] to a specific ZIP+4, one attempts to influence one's viviparous children's lot in life by picking their friends' parents. On the russian side, I'll make the preposterous claim that Crimea had to be "liberated", because otherwise how else were non-Moscow parents supposed to be able to send their kids to Artek[3] for the summer? [1] undoubtedly thought of as an expansion on the 1966 system: https://twitter.com/johncleese/status/1254130854462455813 https://twitter.com/johncleese/status/1254130854462455813 [2] what are current premiums for houses with "good schools?" [3] https://artek.org https://artek.org

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

bradlys 6y ago

> Broadly speaking a rich kid at a mid-tier school will do just as well as a rich kid in a “good” school. This is somewhat true but it's missing a component I didn't realize was as important - you're getting relationships/networking even at these "good" schools. I know that sounds stupid but being around people of high socioeconomic status helps you learn unspoken signals and norms. On top of that - your peers will likely be going into high paying professions and will be able to help you make your way into that profession as well. Some people I know who went to these rich kid schools are happy that they did because it helped them. I rarely meet people who were like, "Yeah, going to that rich kid school was pointless. It had literally no effect on my life." I used to think I could just parent/teach my way out of any shit school and then I've watched my friends have kids. There's too much social stuff that can't be made up for by parents. I'd be especially wary of putting a kid in a poor school. If you go to a poor school (rated or, especially, funded) then you will have to put in a lot more effort as a parent to get satisfactory results - and likely your kid will lose all childhood friendships as they age. People in poor schools frequently don't break out. If you're putting in the effort or your child is just generally exceptional then they'll break out... Which means they're leaving everyone behind and forging a path that none of their peers have done. It makes for an isolated experience and a really difficult one. If you've done it - great, you can help your kid but is that enjoyable? The programs for children who would be average or above average at a good school frequently don't exist at poor schools. Think AP courses, college credit, computer classes, advanced math and english, foreign language options, etc. I know because I had to go to a school that could only afford 4 days a week and that had to cut almost every elective. I've stayed in contact with no one from that region because... well, there's not much of a point. I haven't spoken to anyone from that school in close to 10 or so years and I'm not even 30. That said - if you or your kid has no large ambitions or only ones that /somehow/ don't rely on any social components at all then it doesn't matter.

082349872349872 6y ago
People find Brave New World's Betas and Gammas[1] to be evidence of dystopia, but my observation of the US school system is that by moving[2] to a specific ZIP+4, one attempts to influence one's viviparous children's lot in life by picking their friends' parents. On the russian side, I'll make the preposterous claim that Crimea had to be "liberated", because otherwise how else were non-Moscow parents supposed to be able to send their kids to Artek[3] for the summer? [1] undoubtedly thought of as an expansion on the 1966 system: https://twitter.com/johncleese/status/1254130854462455813 https://twitter.com/johncleese/status/1254130854462455813 [2] what are current premiums for houses with "good schools?" [3] https://artek.org https://artek.org