From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: Magnet schools
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 20:28:00 GMT

In article <C0M5Av.Au0@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> idfriedm@hertz.uwaterloo.ca (id friedman) writes:
>In article <1993Jan07.210951.11037@eng.umd.edu> clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes:

>>In article <1993Jan7.200126.13933@wam.umd.edu>, kckbxr@next16pg2.wam.umd.edu (Robin Hood) writes:

			.......................

>>    I'll tell you basically why I support the idea of magnet schools
>>despite elitism and possible discrimination.   Under the assumption that
>>not all students can be equally talented, and that only some small percentage
>>of such students can succeed (say 20%), and assuming that not all such
>>students live in one area served by one or two schools, but are distributed
>>in many places, and assuming that there isn't the kind of money and
>>administration to make all schools wonderful institutes of learning, then
>>magnet schools seem like a good idea.

The assumption, or the fact.  Those who will provide the advancement in
our knowledge and methodology are almost entirely from this elite; the
below-average child is not at all likely to come up with anything new.

>>    Why?   First, if we have a small number of students who show
>>evidence of being good in school, but some of these students are
>>located in schools where the local high school has to serve everyone,
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>then the likelihood is that such students will not have the kind
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>>of education that can challenge them.   It seems a waste to force someone
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
>>to go to a school where they are not expected to accomplish much when
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>there is evidence that they can.
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>Right on!!!! The idea is not to breed mediocrity by bringing the excellent
>students to the level of the average, it is to encourage excellence!!

We need to encourage excellence, to the extent that it is possible, in all.
This means, in particular, that we should consider it abominable if a child







>>    Now, if we resort to private schools or parochial schools, then that
>>means a student has to have money in order to go, and this would be unfair
>>to the poorer students who can not afford private schooling.  In addition,
>>if students in poorer communities have poorer schooling, then there is
>>no alternative but to attend those high schools.   Magnet schools would
>>offer a means to go to a higher quality school.   

There is NO reason why an individual child should have poorer schooling in
poorer communities.  Money is not a major obstacle; the obstacles are those
put in by the current establishment.  If a school does not have the ability
to properly educate a child in their current classrooms, it behooves them
to do what they can to do it otherwise.

-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
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