"Everyone's doing it" doesn't make a wrong thing right. I am very uncomfortable at the idea of prepping children for the SBV, which is an individualized IQ test.
I'm extremely uncomfortable with the practice as well. Only I'd be
less uncomfortable were I faced with the prospect of my kid getting stuck in some dilapidated NYC school as a result of taking the proverbial high road.
You are correct is saying that "Everyone's doing it" doesn't make it right. But a mile in their inner-city shoes might make me a little more understanding.