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Ability And Application Are The Classroom Divides

September 10th, 2007 by ThunderDragon

Gender is not the real classroom divide, claims Equal Opportunities Commission:

School strategies to boost boys’ attainment and close the gender divide with girls are “divisive and counterproductive”, according to a report to be published this week by the Government’s equalities watchdog.

In fact, they say that instead of helping to narrow to gap

“playing up the difference will exacerbate such difference”. While it acknowledges that there is a gender gap in literacy, with boys underperforming in relation to girls, the 80-page document adds: “In other areas, the gap is not significant and certainly the focus on boys’ underachievement detracts from the consideration needed to be given to the larger gaps between groups defined by social class and race.”

So, predictably, it’s class [and race] that is the source of all inequality:

The report notes that social class and race have a far more significant effect on school results than gender; girls from disadvantaged backgrounds trail far behind middle-class boys from the same ethnic group. There is also a wide variation in performance across black and ethnic minority groups, with a gap of 16 percentage points between the highest and lowest achieving ethnic groups in their English results. (The Times)

Except, really, it’s not because of their class or race that certain kids fall behind, it is either because they are not as intelligent as others or because they don’t put the work in.

Class, race, and gender are not the real classroom divides. Ability and application are. This may be reflected along gender, race, and class lines, because they don’t exist because of them. They are a symptom, not a cause. Instead of trying to focus on one group, however defined, it would be far better to encourage all school children to work harder, and to encourage their parents to encourage them as well.

General ability and the extent to which that is applied to school work are the divides within the classroom. Nothing else causes them, but they can be seen as areas where extra work needs to be done in order for them to reach their potential. It’s not because they are working class, male, or black that are low in the class, but because they either don’t have the ability and/or aren’t applying it.

Source: The Times

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