From: "Russell Coker" <russell@coker.com.au>
I think that a large part of the solution to the current situation is in removing some students from the regular school system. I'm sure that everyone here went to school with some kids who never had a chance of going to university and probably weren't going to pass year 12. Having such students in school only make things worse for everyone else.
The "separation of kids" is one of the main differences between my upbringing in East Germany (where more or less all kids stay together until year 10) and the West German (and now in all of Germany) where most states separate kids after year 4, in three different school systems. To end up in the "low end school" (Hauptschule) is more or less the entry ticket to a failed life. There you have "no future kids". Why bother to learn? Take your drugs and learn for an underworld career. The selection is only partially based on merits. Everybody knows that well-off parents have more means to ensure their kids avoid these kind of schools even if they are not that bright. And the kid with he black fingernails is more likely to be there even if it's smarter than the rich one. Yes, having all kids learning together has some downsides but it has upsides too. School is social education too, and it is good to know how other people fare in life, what there problems are etc. Social separation happens anyway, by location, and the last years of houseprice explosion will speed up this process. Personally, I enjoy to see my kids growing up with a positive attitude. As most Australian kids do, I believe. I haven't seen many 12 years old who already feel that they are "the leftover" of a society that doesn't need them. That is good for everyone. It makes living in Australia a pleasant experience. My daughter learns in a public college, in a SEAL program (selected entry accelerated learning). The separation is much less intrusive than separation by school, and it seems to be the best of two worlds for her: an inclusive school and a challenging, stimulating learning environment. These facilities are there for all kids, not just the SEAL classes, as art curses, sport hall, science labs etc. BTW: The inclusive Australian education system fares better in international comparisons than the separating German one. Regards Peter