KIPP: The New "Old Boys Network"
If America is really going to be a meritocracy, admissions into elite colleges has to be blind to socio-economic status. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, gifted students from poor families often don't attend the most selective universities.
Part of this seems to that the high achievers who don't have money engage in different patterns of behavior when applying to colleges than the high achievers who do. But there's also the "old boys network." While we regularly hear stories about the waning of prep school influence in the admissions process, the perception remains that who you know matters at least as much as what you know.
Now, one thing I've noted over the years is how certain charter schools love to put on airs that they are providing the equivalent of a prep school experience for the lower classes. Uniforms are the most obvious manifestation of this:
Part of this seems to that the high achievers who don't have money engage in different patterns of behavior when applying to colleges than the high achievers who do. But there's also the "old boys network." While we regularly hear stories about the waning of prep school influence in the admissions process, the perception remains that who you know matters at least as much as what you know.
Now, one thing I've noted over the years is how certain charter schools love to put on airs that they are providing the equivalent of a prep school experience for the lower classes. Uniforms are the most obvious manifestation of this:
If you only looked at the clothes, you'd think Chris Christie was giving a talk at Delbarton, and not Robert Treat