A Tribune story reported a “surprise gap” between the test scores of white students and minority students at top schools and implied that this is the fault of the schools. The article even said that if a school’s subgroups’ (of various minorities) test scores do not improve by 2004, educators may be forced to bus them to other schools.
Schools must provide at least equal opportunities for all students to learn and must also provide extra help for those who need it.
But to say that a school is failing because not all subgroups achieve equal results is lunacy.
Surely outside influences, especially the home environment, play a huge part in how well a student does. If a kid spends his time playing basketball or hanging out with friends (or worse, his gang) instead of doing his homework, is this the school’s fault?
It appears that government and our society are trying to produce equal results among all subgroups instead of providing equal opportunity.
