The de-tracking movement has been metastasizing through America's public schools, particularly on the West Coast. Middle and high schools have traditionally created separate tracks for high achieving students. And parents of students relegated to the mainstream track are not always happy.
Where else but San Francisco's unified school district would you expect high achieving students to be held back. For ten years, students are held back and not allowed to go even as far as algebra in middle school. Much of this travesty can be laid at the feet of Jo Boaler
https://stanfordreview.org/review-investigation-jo-boaler-is-worse-than-we-thought/ It may take an upcoming ballot measure to change this.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-algebra-middle-school-18645514.php. It beggars reason for talented students on a trajectory through AP Calculus BC, Linear Algebra, and Multivariable Calculus in high school, to be held back and only allowed Algebra in 9th grade. And they're even detracking science and humanities now.
Parents rant about an "achievement gap". After failing to lift up the underperforming students, SFUSD and other districts hit upon the idea of simply suppressing the (minority of) high achieving students, and
mirabile dictu, no more achievement gap! The idea is analogous to harnessing together every student on the track team, to somehow improve their running.
This approach has been further weaponized in our current political situation. According to woke orthodoxy, the only permitted explanation of unequal results is class oppression through systemic racism. But I just want my kid to be taught at his level.
I'll take one further step. As we know there is a long standing polemic as to whether giftedness is nature or nurture. I spoke with an IQ researcher recently who felt that IQ was actually 80% nature. 80% genetic. Let the possibility of that sink in for a minute. Among the many implications of these forbidden questions and forbidden answers, is that the teachers were not to blame for failing to lift up the underachievers.
Just wanted to rant about the situation of America's gifted, in many states. Democracy is 999 wolves and 1 lamb voting on what's for dinner. I've seen us on a collision course for many years, looking back at some of my earlier posts here. These and many other follies result from policies driven by emotion and politics, rather than logic and scientific method. Jesus wept.
Would be interested in other people's takes, but bear in mind that you risk being doxxed and branded a eugenicist for associating with me and my wrongthink.
