Reply to Just realized my daughter's parochial still discloses ranks. How to get them to stop?

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Reply to "Just realized my daughter's parochial still discloses ranks. How to get them to stop?"

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[quote=pbraverman][quote=Anonymous]It's not only harming my kid-- it harms the entire class when the top 10% and top 20% are tiny and such strong students (students strong than my daughter!) are excluded. It's just pointless and one of those carryover things nobody cares enough to stop and think why do we do this.[/quote]

I'm sorry you're in this position; it's hard to reconcile these disconnects and frustrating to live through them.

Class rank is part of a school's culture — it is a logical element of an environment that sees education, at least in part, as an enterprise in which students compete against each other academically. I'm not saying that can't be done without ranking (many competitive independent schools don't rank), just that it's all part of the same cloth. There is a case to be made for that kind of environment, and many smart, reasonable people support it.

There is also a case to made against grades, standardized testing, and other forms of academic competition. Its proponents claim that they have stopped to think about, as you say, "why we do this," and there is strong and growing evidence that competition inhibits academic growth, to say nothing of emotional and social well being. That kind of environment, of course, would be unlikely to support class ranking. Many smart, reasonable people support that approach as well.

The problem here is twofold: First, it's hard to select a school that sees education as a competitive exercise, and then expect that they won't apply that approach to their various modi operandi (see: class rank). Second, it's hard to eliminate one aspect of a school's culture and expect the culture to change fundamentally because that one aspect is undone.

Respectfully, if you don't favor class ranking, I think you might consider whether the school's overall view of education is consistent with your own. If it is, you're never going to agree with any school on everything, so can you tolerate class ranking? If not, well, there's your answer. If you can, you make your peace with one aspect of a great school with which you disagree, just as you do with your job, your house, or your partner. As I've often said to families, there are no "good schools" or "bad schools" — there are only schools that are good matches for kids and families and schools that aren't.

Good luck. I know this kind of dissonance is tough.
Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students ahead of you. :) If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com[/quote]

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