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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The discussion of the APS gifted program (or lack thereof) got me wondering about a hypothetical question regarding education.

Let's say you had a button. If pressed, this magic button would, at no cost to the school system or anyone else, increase the academic achievements of the current top 10% of students by a significant amount (say one-half to a full standard deviation). This would show up in grades and test scores, but it would represent real increases in skill and ability as well. Pressing the button would have no impact on anyone other than the top 10%.

Would you press the button? [/quote]

No.
How about we press a similar button for the bottom 10% instead?
What a perfect example of why the stark disparities are perpetuated - focusing on what the top is missing rather than actually providing what the bottom requires.[/quote]

Don't fight the hypothetical, as they say in law school. I'd gladly press the button for the bottom 10%. But in the original question the button does nothing to anyone outside the top 10%. It doesn't stop anyone from directing existing resources towards students achieving less.

Basically it's a solution that [b]improves overall outcomes without narrowing the distribution of outcomes[/b]. To put it another way, if you had a tool which cost nothing, improved lives, but wouldn't actually close the disparities you're concerned about, would you deny those people the chance to improve their lives? [/quote]

I disagree it improves overall outcomes. How much more can the top 10% improve? And it isn't improving overall outcomes if outcomes for 90% aren't improved.

[/quote]

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