<p>I think an example from my neck of the woods will add some flavor to the discussion.</p>
<p>The Toronto Board of Education surveyed every student in the system ( 27000 of them) in 1991 and a report on student achievement was released after almost two years of analysis. The report was legendary among education professionals but was not released to the public until a local paper did so in 1995.</p>
<p>Without going into great detail, they found differences among students of different socio-economic background, ethnicities, family structures etc. and started a political storm of some magnitude. Almost everyone was asking what was wrong with the “system” for treating different students differently.</p>
<p>Since the City of Toronto has one of the most culturally diverse populations in North America, the only thing students have in common is their schooling. Blaming the only constant in the equation for treating students differently is mathematically absurd. </p>
<p>IOW, while the students may be “culturally” different, they all attend the same schools, sit in the same classes, having the same teachers, studying the same curriculum. If all students do poorly, then there is at least a case against the system. Historically, however, the Board sent a disproportional number of representatives to the International Math Olympiad and other international competitions. Furthermore, certain groups succeeded beyond all expectation on a consistent basis.</p>
<p>No, I think the problem is with the students and their families. Unfortunately, political reality is not scientific reality…</p>