I suspect that some resentment is elicited because parents recognize correctly that their own children could do more difficult work in a particular subject. If it were a more prevalent practice and many kids were subject accelerated, our ds may have benefited also by having an opportunity to progress several years ahead in math and science by now.
I agree. I even heard this idea from a couple bright kids I knew who didn't get picked for the gifted program. They both said "I would really like to have gone to the Science museum. It's not fair." The perception was that the kids from the wealthy families got picked.
Alternatively, if acceleration was accessible to a larger chunk of students, people might start to see it as the norm. And if going on the special Science field trips was based on getting at least a B average in science class, then winning a spot could become a personal challenge.
See, I think a lot of the possibility for success here rests on getting rid of the elitist thing and turning acceleration into a personal challenge. Americans like to overcome obstacles and react negatively when something is perceived as given for reasons unrelated to achievement.
Obviously, I'm not trying to say we have a completely merit-based society. I'm trying to find ways to get a critical mass of parents on board, and this will only happen if they see themselves or their own kids in what's being discussed.
Val
