Re #76:
The threshold for admission to the selective NYC publics is a test.
I suppose the tests might reflect some cultural biases, to some extent. And maybe could be prepared for. I really don’t know.
The threshold for admission to Hunter Elementary, which is for Kindergarten I believe, is an IQ test. I forget if it was Stanford-Binet or Wechsler.
At the time it was relevant for our kids, one had to score above some threshold (99%ile? don’t remember) on the IQ test to make the initial cut. Then they have the kids in and do a bunch of activities, to see how they function in a group setting, show leadership, take direction, etc. They then selected the class from that pool.
Again, to the extent that the test procedures incorporate cultural bias this could possibly seep in. And again, I don’t really know. [ But personally I maintain they ARE biased, because MY kid got axed in the last cut, and she’s the best!!! So it can’t have been fair…]
The Hunter alums I know do NOT describe their experience as being a “pressure cooker”. They were highly motivated students in their own right, and aspired to learn. They loved their school, and achieved great things.
As a group many of these people did not come from wealthy families. Many of their college decisions were influenced by where they got the most money.
re#83: The environment at private schools really varies. When we were in the Midwest, the private school one my kids attended had different “tracks” and the top one was quite accelerated. The other school was no more rigorous academically than the higher tracks of the good suburban schools in the area. Attendance there was more a social thing. Though it did have much smaller classes than the public school did.
The NYC privates also vary. The people at Horace Mann always whined about workload. Not so some others.