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Orange Devil posted:I can see how you can make arguments against tracking, but the allergic reaction I tend to find in US media about it is just so completely alien to me. Well, I'll keep it short to avoid derailing a fine thread into US-centric concerns. Despite the fact that I think there are a few reasons why tracking would be bad in the US (mainly because our wealth inequality is much higher meaning tracking would exacerbate the already big gulf in educational opportunities between the poor and rich, which is already bad because of our poor funding models, and etc., etc.), I think it comes down to a culture difference. The idea that anyone can work their way up from rags to riches is a cornerstone of our cultural idea, and people are leery of overtly blocking opportunities in that way. The pain of racial segregation is also very recent and despite the fact that we've really not integrated our schools, we definitely aren't looking to re-instate anything that looks like it.
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Sep 30, 2011 21:08
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Orange Devil posted:Like I said, it's not that there's no arguments against tracking, but I always feel like the arguments for tracking are never fairly considered in the US, precisely because of emotions about "cultural values" and fear about race relations. I don't disagree with views on the problems already exist, and that those things skew discussions on the matter. However, you can wave away cultural issues, but race issues you absolutely can not. The matter of race in America almost completely defines us much more than our love for capitalist ideas. But I'm fine with agreeing to agree on the reasons but disagree on the importance.
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Sep 30, 2011 21:28
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Previously on GBS posted:But the US educational system is incredibly elitist and social mobility is considerably higher in Germany. I guess I wasn't clear. I'm an American talking why it is not a good idea in the American system. This is my exact point. I know it works well in Germany. As loath as I am to support an argument based around American Exceptionalism, this is a case where it applies. fe: Though perhaps you're not actually disagreeing with me?
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Oct 1, 2011 00:31
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