http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-bans...

Excerpt:

A school district in Rhode Island has ended the traditional father-daughter dance because the longtime tradition violated the state’s gender discrimination law.

Judith Lundsten, an assistant school superintendent in Cranston, tells Fox News the move came in response to a complaint from a single mother after her daughter wasn’t allowed to attend a father-daughter dance.

In a related story the NBA was shut down today because one mom complained that her 5'2 daughter was refused a spot on an NBA roster.

I hate this if everyone can't do it then no one can do it mentality.

Reminds me of Harrison Bergeron.

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html

Ishtar

"Reminds me of Harrison Bergeron."

The REALLY sad thing is that this is exactly what "standards" do to our kids.

In some states they are a lowest common denominator that cheats the high kids. In other states (like CA) they are "world class" and are unattainable for low kids and only marginally attainable for average kids. The very notion of one-size-fits-all standards insures that whichever way you go a lot of kids get screwed out of getting an education that fits their abilities.

I can see that.

Instead of helping each kid reach his/her potential (at whatever level the kid is capable of), we're shoving them into boxes.

But how do we try to create some kind of continuity between teachers/schools/districts/etc without standards?

Ishtar

I can see that.

Instead of helping each kid reach his/her potential (at whatever level the kid is capable of), we're shoving them into boxes.

But how do we try to create some kind of continuity between teachers/schools/districts/etc without standards?

You have to have some form of measurements, just another name for standards.

mabye stop social promotion. Group kids in "ability" groups so they can be taught at the proper level according to ability and needs. (Not sure that this is much different than splitting up kids by grade - why to we have grade-levels?) Why not just promote to the next learning level as you achieve the "standard" necessary to move up. You may be with you own age group in English, older students with math, and younger students with social studies, but you are then learn the content you are ready to learn.

I am not familiar with other countries. does everyone move up by age level? Do they use "ability groups"? Do they have a better way of dealing with kids on the extremes?

When I was in junior high, my geeky friend was taking advanced calculus. He took a bus the to the high school to get that class, then came back for his "regular" classes. He was lucky to have a school district that would do that, but that takes a lot of dedication and desire on the parts of many people. Very easy to say that it is "too hard".

Reminds me of Harrison Bergeron.

Wow, I completely forgot about this story until you reminded me!

Jennifer

I don't see why she couldn't have attended the dance without a date -- or with an uncle. (You can bet a lot of dads spend the evening talking among themselves why the daughters dance with each other.)

Sounds more like the principal goofed by just saying "no".

In any event, it's their state law which is the problem.