Interesting. Having grown up in Sweden during the 80-ties and 90-ties I’m very familiar with this attitude. Here and back then it was almost policy to hold gifted students back, to promote “equality”. But I thought the US would have a higher tolerance for ability.
What do you think is the driving psychological force behind this attitude in US schools? In Sweden I’ve always thought it’s mainly a sort of crab mentality, semi-formalized in “the law of Jante”. But maybe there’s more to it, if it happens also in very individualistic cultures like the US?
Sometimes I get a feeling that many people in the “helping business” have trouble with self-sufficient people in general, perhaps because it conflicts with their self-image as “helpers”.
When I was in school, a long time ago, schools “tracked” students into gifted, regular, and special needs classes. At least in California where I grew up. I’m sure that varied by school district because in the US schools get managed locally and funded by property taxes, leading to lots of variation in quality and available programs.
At some point in the ‘70s tracking got abandoned. I think it happened because of a desire to eliminate inequality but I’m not sure — could have happened due to lack of funding.
Americans have private school options but those get expensive so that’s mainly an upper-middle and upper class thing.
The “no child left behind” idea mandated standardized tests and ranking teachers, which led to optimizing for the tests and grade inflation.
Fortunately by the time I had kids we could homeschool. Religious fundamentalists paved the way in court, making it legal in most states, with different rules and levels of enforcement. I raised my kids mostly in Oregon, ultra liberal and lax about homeschooling.
What do you think is the driving psychological force behind this attitude in US schools? In Sweden I’ve always thought it’s mainly a sort of crab mentality, semi-formalized in “the law of Jante”. But maybe there’s more to it, if it happens also in very individualistic cultures like the US?
Sometimes I get a feeling that many people in the “helping business” have trouble with self-sufficient people in general, perhaps because it conflicts with their self-image as “helpers”.
P.S. Homeschooling is illegal in Sweden.