4 ms·

Just out of curiosity, what is the relevance of this observation? Are you saying that nations are irrelevant, and ethnicity is what really matters? Is this a

by raleec 14y ago

Just out of curiosity, what is the relevance of this observation? Are you saying that nations are irrelevant, and ethnicity is what really matters? Is this a subtle entreaty to focus the brunt of America's educational efforts on specific ethnic subgroups so that the entire nation can have better results? Instead of blindly downvoting, I really am interested in the point of this statement.

yummyfajitas 14y ago
The point is that whatever trait drags the US average performance down probably lives in the student body rather than the school system. If so, there isn't a lot we can do about it.
- raleec 14y ago
  Quite the pessimist! So you're going w/ B) A subtle entreaty to focus the brunt of America's educational efforts on specific ethnic subgroups so that the entire nation can have better results. The upside is that it's possible that whatever procedural improvements are made will probably improve all of the student body, so it's a win-win! Unless, of course, you're also positing that these sub-groups can't be taught??
  - yummyfajitas 14y ago
    So you're going w/ B) A subtle entreaty to focus the brunt of America's educational efforts on specific ethnic subgroups... Unless you can demonstrate that this is cost effective, I'm certainly not. And yes, I do generally posit that most educational interventions are ineffective. If you disagree, please point to one which can reliably and scalably increase the score of any group by an amount proportional to the black/white (or white/asian) gap.
    - raleec 14y ago
      Ok.... So are you saying that the current methods of education can't be improved? I'm not referring to an intervention, which, like dieting, will not be useful in the long term. I'm giving you credit for hitting upon the idea that education itself can be altered in a manner which is not only far more effective, but evenly distributed improvements across all tested populations. That's a great idea, and we all look forward to hearing of your progress in this endeavor.

by raleec 14y ago

yummyfajitas 14y ago

The point is that whatever trait drags the US average performance down probably lives in the student body rather than the school system. If so, there isn't a lot we can do about it.

raleec 14y ago
Quite the pessimist! So you're going w/ B) A subtle entreaty to focus the brunt of America's educational efforts on specific ethnic subgroups so that the entire nation can have better results. The upside is that it's possible that whatever procedural improvements are made will probably improve all of the student body, so it's a win-win! Unless, of course, you're also positing that these sub-groups can't be taught??
- yummyfajitas 14y ago
  So you're going w/ B) A subtle entreaty to focus the brunt of America's educational efforts on specific ethnic subgroups... Unless you can demonstrate that this is cost effective, I'm certainly not. And yes, I do generally posit that most educational interventions are ineffective. If you disagree, please point to one which can reliably and scalably increase the score of any group by an amount proportional to the black/white (or white/asian) gap.
  - raleec 14y ago
    Ok.... So are you saying that the current methods of education can't be improved? I'm not referring to an intervention, which, like dieting, will not be useful in the long term. I'm giving you credit for hitting upon the idea that education itself can be altered in a manner which is not only far more effective, but evenly distributed improvements across all tested populations. That's a great idea, and we all look forward to hearing of your progress in this endeavor.