I�m appreciating Wren�s post here - low standards and lack of parental demand for rigor being the problem, reinforced by a lack of advanced STEM teaching credentials. That�s been my observation. And the PISA scores don�t lie.
I actually flirted with launching a private gifted magnet, but there was a lack of traction among parents and a lack of interest in radical acceleration. It became clear what the gap was - parents have a public list of school requirements that they speak about, and an actual list. The parents, by and large, are happy �striving� for their children, as long as someone else does the heavy lifting.
As long as they feel they have offered �more� by relative standards than the public system, they feel that box is checked, irrespective of whether their children are actually getting a better education. It�s much like people who claim they want to get in shape, but never lift a finger, or fizzle out after a week: the difference between aspiration and action.
Achievement requires rigor and discipline - in any field.
