What's Good for Rich Kids Is Good for Poor Ones, Too
Deborah Meier writes again to Mike Klonsky today. She will post again next week on her summer reading recommendations before starting the blog's summer break.
Dear Mike,
It is galling when rich people in the ed policy field tell me that class size doesn't matter—and pay a lot to send their kids to schools with half as many students per class as urban schools. And city schools in fact generally have larger class sizes than "upstate" or "downstate" schools. Here, again,"urban" is a euphemism for you know who.
Ditto for arts, etc. You've spelled it out so clearly. As I told my 1949 high school graduation class (a NYC independent school) the other night (65th reunion), I mostly discovered that for starters I should try to duplicate the school I went to. And it works—for "those kids," too.
Of course, we improved on it, in part to adapt to our "audience" (students, community, and families), and in part because we had to think about some of the advantages that my peers had access to from their family connections. We did a lot extra to connect kids to other adults—above and beyond the school or family—who could be a networker for them, as well as providing a look into how the other half lives. But these wouldn't have been bad ideas for my own high school either, and I notice they are doing more of this now also. The "other half" may be a bit different for the students in the two schools.
So actually every child in America should have access to the wealth of talent and experience offered in elite private schools, PLUS ... for after school, weekend, and summer enrichment.
And even then it wouldn't be a level playing field. Just watch all the ways I advantage my four What's Good for Rich Kids Is Good for Poor Ones, Too - Bridging Differences - Education Week: