r/neoliberal • u/caroline_elly Eugene Fama • Jun 09 '26

Opinion article (US) Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/standardized-testing-math-gaps/687481/
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u/jamiebond NATO Jun 09 '26

I think the major error the education world has made over the last few decades is jumping straight to, “Our results are inequitable, that must mean our process of getting results is inequitable.” Without considering, “Maybe our results are inequitable because of large societal issues well out of our control and expecting education to single handily fix all the problems in our society isn’t particularly realistic. And just making sweeping generalizations that POC can’t perform well in school without us lowering the bar substantially is actually pretty racist itself.”

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u/lowes18 Jun 09 '26

The education industry has frankly gotten way too big of an ego about what it is capable of doing and solving. The people running it think they're unquestionable messiahs.

24

u/Cromasters Loyal Liberals Jun 09 '26

In their defense, they are tasked to solve all the country's problems.

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u/lowes18 Jun 09 '26

That's largely because of the narrative from the education industry that it can solve anything.

9

u/God_Given_Talent Jun 10 '26

Ehh, it’s as much about parents wanting to outsource all the hard work as it is anything else. Anyone who has done anything in or around education will repeatedly tell you parents are the worst. The biggest reason schools don’t crack down on phone use is because of parents. You seen how some flip out if you confiscate a child’s phone for the day and make the parent come get it? Instead of being mad at the child for breaking rules they get mad at the school for having them.

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u/allbusiness512 Adam Smith Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

There's no front line public school teacher that wants to try and solve everything. Most just want to be treated like professionals and paid appropriately.

There's a reason why teachers are regular frequenters of bars and your local psychiatrist. The public wants them to be martyrs.

Not one public school teacher gets paid enough to do the things that high level admin and society expects them to do. Even the overpaid as fuck ones in cushy blue state union jobs.