[LMB] Prep and Finishing School OT:

[James M. BRYANT, G4CLF]

I complained that in the UK (and probably elsewhere)
there is too frequently a political bias that support
for the less gifted child is more important than
providing support for the gifted ones.

And Andrew asked:-

 >Can such a belief only be the result of bias?
 >Should not the majority also have an environment
 >where they 'can make the most of their talents.'?

Yes - it is bias if the less able are favoured.
In a universal system appropriate resources should
be provided equally to all - not biassed to the more
gifted, but equally not biassed to the less able.

 >...All selection systems <SNIP!> select as much for
 >the (the parents') wealth and ability to manipulate
 >the system...

But if a child has parents who are willing to make
an effort to obtain the best education then that
child is more likely to benefit from it because it
has better support.

This is not necessarily a direct function of wealth.
Some families and social groups so value education
that they will make almost any sacrifice to ensure
that the children have the best, others disparage it
(and the mass media appear to delight in encouraging
the view that education is vaguely undesirable).
Such support SHOULD be considered when assessing a
child's needs.

Of course this also says that something should be
done to address anti-intellectual, or anti-education
bias in society or parts of society, and to help
children with non-supportive parents - but not by
failing to provide for able children with supportive
parents, or less able but very well supported children
who are likely to benefit from education more than
we might expect from their IQ alone.

I do not quarrel with the ideal of comprehensive
education but with its too common failures.

James - who repeats that the system should provide
pools, drinks with fruit on sticks, and pool-boys
(or pool-girls) to politicians who will enjoy them
and NOT INTERFERE with systems which, while less
than perfect, would benefit far more from time to
settle down and be optimised by those who work in
them than from continual high level policy changes