Kevin Tarr wrote:
>
> I'm hearing a radio commercial; don't know if it's local or national. The
> woman says "I want a house with good schools. Schools that will make my
> sons smart. Like Socrates...but without the toga. Smart enough to get into
> the best schools on the east or west coasts." I can miss the gender bias,
> assuming the woman has no daughters. First questions: can a school make a
> kid smart? I think if she's a good enough parent the school shouldn't
> matter. I'm sure we could come up with a 3 x 3 truth table with
> good/medium/bad parents vs good/medium/bad schools and have percentages to
> see what matters more. Good parents and good schools won't also produce a
> smart kid but it will happen more often than bad parents and bad schools.
> It just sounded like she expected the school to do the work.
I think that good parents are the most important part of the equation.
But good schools really help.
And parents of all stripes who think they make a difference and can
research which schools are better and can afford to locate themselves
where their children can attend those schools often do so. (I know one
family that has moved around a lot, but their child will be in
kindergarten next year, and they've moved to a place that would have her
going to a very good elementary school, and a good junior high after
that. Not sure about the high school, but they're in a good district,
anyway.)
> And are we missing the great colleges not on the coasts?
Well, I'm thinking of good schools not on the east coast or west coast,
and Rice is certainly a good school, but you could argue it's a Gulf
Coast school. :)
Julia
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