[extropy-chat] it's all understandable, except

[Lee Corbin]

Eliezer writes

> Lee Corbin wrote:
>> 
>> The schools in the Santa Clara Valley and Fremont here in northern
>> California, I do know from personal experience are doing excellent
>> jobs with the brightest kids.  (There are some unfortunate counter-
>> examples:  the Palo Alto high school district has been taken over by
>> some levellers who have taken the pressure off the brightest kids to
>> such an extent that parents I know have withdrawn their kids and are
>> sending them to private schools. One teaching math spot remains
>> open because the primary job qualification is that the teacher be black.
>> The main focus (goal) in that high school district now---I kid you not
>> ---to have everyone perform at the same level insofar as it is possible.)
> 
> Current in-house SIAI research personnel:
> 
> Marcello Herreshoff - recently graduated from Gunn high school, in the 
> Palo Alto district.  If they took any pressure off him to perform, it 
> sure doesn't show.

I would not expect it to!  Not at all, even if when he was at Gunn
standards had fallen. (And it's not Gunn I was talking about; my
data is from another one.)

You missed my point, which was my fault:  I should have stressed
this:  the very brightest  (the ones that I complain are too few) make
out well NO MATTER WHAT.  You can't wreck them.  It's just
sad when they can coast their last few years in the school system,
and the parents (of these very few) often won't stand for it.

> Eliezer Yudkowsky - gave up on the dying American educational system 
> after completing eighth grade.  Went to a private religious school for 
> K-8.  Would things have gone differently if I'd been in Palo Alto with 
> decently atheist parents?

I don't think that it would have made any big difference; you'd be slightly
ahead of where you are or very slightly behind, that's all.

Lee