不能以倒退来解决“择校”问题作者：谢小庆来源：《民主与科学》2009年第04期北京某小学的一个会计挪用500万元炒股,牵出了该小学上亿元的账外资金的问题,也将该小学的领导班子主要成员送上了法庭。
上亿元的账外资金,主要是“择校费”。
“择校”是今天基础教育所面临的一个不容忽视的问题。
在北京、西安等择校问题几乎失控的城市,在小学、初中入学中,已经出现“有权者使权、有钱者使钱”的局面,无权无钱者的子女受到严重损害,教育公平严重失衡,教育腐败难以抑制。
家长们抱怨“上不起学”,家长们面对子女教育问题叫苦不迭,大多与“择校”问题有关。
面对这种使教育公平受到严重冲击的择校现象,一些教育工作者和学生家长发出了恢复考试入学的呼吁。
但是,我不赞成他们的看法。
“择校”问题必须靠推进改革来解决,而不能靠倒退来解决。
无论就体力而言还是就智力而言,人与人之间的差异都是明显的。
因此,在人类历史上的很长时间中,许多人信仰“唯上智与下愚不移”。
1776年,一群人类最伟大的思想家将“人人生而平等”写进了美国的《独立宣言》。
200多年以来,“人人生而平等”逐渐成为人类的共同信仰,成为维系人类社会最基本的价值基础。
对于今天有限的优质教育资源,每个儿童都应该具有平等分享的权利,不论他的父母是否具有权势,不论他的父母是富是贫,不论他的智力是高是低。
正是基于这一基本的信仰,国家政策明确规定不允许在小学和初中入学中采用考试。
显然,采用考试将损害每个儿童与生俱来的平等的受教育权利,将损害每个儿童平等分享优质教育资源的权利。
尽管我本人是靠考试吃饭的,这种禁止考试的政策一定程度上会影响到我的“饭碗”,但我一直是旗帜鲜明、毫不含糊地坚决支持教育部禁止小学、初中入学考试的政策。
我们必须坚持“儿童生而平等”的基本信仰,否则,我们就是向黑暗中世纪的倒退。
只有坚持“就近入学、电脑派位”,才可能逐渐消除教育资源分配不均的问题,才可能促进教育资源向“薄弱校”的倾斜。
UNIT TENTEXT ONEWhen Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Harvard announced last fall that they would drop their early admissions options because they gave an unfair advantage to affluent students, many college counselors held their breath. Would early decision go the way of kegs in dormitories? Not for now, at least. Early admission is still going strong at many colleges and universities, including many top-tier schools.Early decision in particular--in which a student commits to a first-choice institution--is often touted as a plus for both schools and students. Colleges can lock up half of their class before January, and acceptance rates are typically higher than under regular admission. The major drawback of early decision is that it leaves students who are in the market for the best financial aid package out in the cold. By applying early, you must enroll if accepted, so comparing awards with those of other schools is out of the question. Schools like that, of course, because it helps their bottom line. But there is a possible end run: Ask if a school will release you from your obligation should its aid package fall short. In some cases, a school will roll you into the regular admission pool, allowing for comparison shopping come springtime.While some schools admit almost the same percentage of applicants during early and regular admission, many favor the early pool. Johns Hopkins University took 44 percent from its early round and 24 percent from the regular pool. Early birds at Hopkins make up a third of this fall's freshman class.Nonetheless, college counselors have seen borderline students get a boost by applying early decision. "If they aren't legacies, athletes, or an underrepresented minority, early decision may be the only hook that some students have," says Jim Conroy, chair of post-high-school counseling at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Ill. But you need to be realistic. "If a school is out of your reach, it's out of reach whether you apply early decision, early action, or regular admission," says Sarah Wilburn, a college counselor at Campus Bound in Quincy, Mass. "Move on and set some new goals."Advantage or not, applying early decision makes sense only if you're convinced that a school is a good fit for you. Erin Murray decided to apply to Dartmouth early despite the advice of her college counselor and others. They wanted her to beef up her transcript after she had spent a semester of high school in Italy. But the teenager from Cheyenne, Wyo., wisely played up her experience abroad (her 4.0 GPA and top-notch board scores didn't hurt, either) and was accepted. "I probably would have fit well at a number of schools," she admits, "but Dartmouth was the only place I could see myself walking across the greens. It was a gut reaction."If you lack the same certainty but clinching a slot before New Year's is appealing, consider other early admissions plans. Early action is a nonbinding alternative that allows you to apply by November 1 and hear back before the regular application deadline. Some highly selective schools require that you submit only one early action application--called single-choice early action--meaning you can't apply early elsewhere. Another option is to apply early to rolling admissions, where an application that arrives in the fall may stand out more than one that arrives with most of the others in January.1. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of early decision?[A] Early decision is a common strategy adopted by universities to secure high rate of student enrollment.[B] Early decision begins to be abandoned by top American universities.[C] Early decision is a special treatment for rich students, athletes and minorities.[D] Early decision will still be in practice for a fairly long time.2. The major disadvantage of early decision is that_____[A] students can enjoy a less attractive the financial aid package if he chooses early decision.[B] it excludes students who are from lower social class or poor family background.[C] it does not allow students to choose the other better schools.[D] it excludes students who want to have comparison shopping.3. What Sarah Wilburn wants to suggest students is that_____[A] early decision is not so advantageous as people think. [B] students should not regard early decision as the sole way to college.[C] students should evaluate themselves objectively before making early decision.[D] students should not limit themselves in early decision.4.Wyo applied to Dartmouthbecause_____[A] she was quite confident due to her rich experience of studying abroad. [B] the university’s beautiful lawn aroused her affection.[C] she found Dartmouth the only one that fit her after researching a bunch of universities.[D] her 4.0 GPA and top-notch board scores were not so ideal.5. The following options can be adopted by students lacking certainty of which school to apply to except_____[A] applying to early action.[B] applying to rolling admissions.[C] applying to early decision.[D] applying single-choice early action.文章剖析：这篇文章主要讲述了美国的提前择校制度。
美国教育改革面临转折——新任联邦教育部部长德沃斯的教育理念及政策前瞻作者：周岳峰编译来源：《世界教育信息》 2017年第4期一、教育慈善事业先行贝琪·德沃斯（Betsy DeVos），今年59 岁，是安利公司创始人、亿万富翁老理查德·德沃斯（Richard M. DeVos Sr）的儿媳。
创建安利商业帝国的这个家族通过商业活动以及慈善事业，包括对该地区的公立和私立大学提供大量捐款，已经主宰了位于密歇根州西部大急流（Grand Rapids）地区的经济发展。
德沃斯与丈夫小查德（迪克）·德沃斯（Richard M“. Dick”DeVos Jr）通过他们的私人基金会实施慈善捐赠，基金会的关注重点包括艺术、儿童保健，一所公共特许航空高中，以及公立和私立高校。
例如，捐赠迪克曾经就读过的私立大学———诺斯伍德大学（Northwood University）。
该校校长基斯·普雷蒂（Keith A. Pretty）说，诺斯伍德大学从这对夫妇那里得到了用来支持一项创业新计划的资金。
他说，这项计划如此成功，以致于该校在捐赠金额用完之后准备继续开展这一计划。
又如，包括费里斯州立大学（Ferris State University）和大谷州立大学（GrandValley State University）在内的几所公立大学也收到了来自于德沃斯夫妇的钱款。
大谷州立大学校长托马斯·哈斯（Thomas J. Haas）说：“若是没有德沃斯家族，那么我们的大学将不可能有如今的规模。
”德沃斯家族帮助打造了大谷州立大学位于市中心的校园，距其主校园大约20 英里。
根据哈斯先生的说法，德沃斯夫妇已捐赠了数目介于25 万美元到50 万美元的资金来支持诸如豪恩施泰因总统研究中心（theHauenstein Center for Presidential Studies）项目，旨在促进有道德的和得力的领导力。
