A certain charming, well-known reader vociferously objected earlier this week when El Marino Language School’s superior achievements in state tests were billboarded as grounds for crowning it the No. 1 campus in Culver City.
She argued that all campuses are worthy of having shiny stars pinned on their starched collars.
Fine. But they are not all equal in academic achievements any more than she and I are cerebral equals. I bow to the lady’s lead.
Otherwise, she appears to be confusing accomplishments with rights, philosophy with real life. Equal rights are not in dispute. Equal accomplishments are.
This is not little league, dear lady, where everyone earns a prize for wearing his uniform or for participating in a game his team lost 15-4. Your celebration of “equality” ain’t going to flip a 15-4 defeat.
Wonderful achievements have been registered at LaBallona, at Lin Howe, at El Rincon, at Farragut, at the Middle School, at Culver Park and at Culver City High School. But their state test scores significantly trailed El Marino. That is the subject, the yardstick.
The campuses are no more equal, academically, than my six siblings and I were. All of us achieved at different levels. My four sons achieved at different levels. They are no more equal than Culver City’s campuses.
Life produces winners and losers. This is a reason that therapists earn impressive incomes.
In real life, for liberals and traditionalists, there are winners and losers. Equality is a comforting concept that makes liberals feel better about themselves while diverting their eyes from certain bottom lines.
“Wonderful achievements have been registered at LaBallona, at Lin Howe, at El Rincon, at Farragut, at the Middle School, at Culver Park and at Culver City High School. But their state test scores significantly trailed El Marino. That is the subject, the yardstick.”
To look only at the top line of a state test score is to avail yourself of a flawed and insufficient yardstick, Ari. It’s like watching only the finish line of a 100M dash and giving a medal to the first guy to cross, regardless of the fact that he was given a 20M head start, and two of his competitors are racing without shoes, and one didn’t get breakfast that morning. And also not noticing that, oh crap, you’re not even watching the finish line at all! ‘Cause it turns out it’s not a 100M dash, it’s a marathon, with steeplechase obstacles throughout, mixed in with a dance recital, a spelling bee and a pie-eating contest.
Point being: there’s a whole heck of a lot that your measuring stick doesn’t measure.