No really..things have change a lot since we went to school. Read the book, 'what High Schools Don't Tell You' although do bring the grain of salt. MIT admissions blog is very good too.
Bottom line is that you are trying to grow an attractive person who loves life which includes learning. I think that this is hard to do when the local raw materials doesnt match the child's raw material but it sounds like so far you've done a great job. Just keep trying to balance the needs of the moment with the future dreams. You may also want to visit attractive Ivys and see what your current impressions of the students are.
