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I suspect this kind of attitude -- that gifted programs are problematic because they imply some students are not gifted -- is the main reason why the US falls b
by csande17 6y ago
I suspect this kind of attitude -- that gifted programs are problematic because they imply some students are not gifted -- is the main reason why the US falls behind many other countries in measures of education quality.
Not everyone is equally good at school! Just like how not everyone is equally good at sports! We should plan around this, not drag everyone down to the lowest common denominator so we can convince ourselves it isn't true.
- scudd 6y agoI don't see how programs like Thomas Jefferson High School will do much in bolstering the overall public education system. The program is ostensibly to give students with demonstrated aptitude, and an interest in STEM a dedicated environment to excel in. However, to what extent it fulfills on these goals, I would say is debatable. But as for the general quality of US public education, I would think that to whatever extent TJ succeeds at its goal, they'd be irrelevant simply by magnitude. TJ, whilst a high performing high school, is one high school among many high schools, in a county among many counties, in a state among many states. Regardless of TJ's individual performance, they're averaged out when looking at aggregated numbers. If the goal is to generally increase US education quality, I would think programs like TJ, which are by nature exclusive, won't be successful.
- rayiner 6y agoThe goal of TJ was to cultivate STEM graduates to help modernize what was, at the time, a fairly conventional southern state economy.