Chris of School of Blog writes of taking his 8th graders on a field trip to Columbia University “to get them thinking about the importance of college.” The students, mostly black and Latino kids from Queens, focused on the imposing architecture of the campus and on how different the Columbia undergrads looked from them. He could tell they didn’t feel comfortable:
[I]t was pretty obvious that they felt like there was no way that they could ever get to a place like Columbia. It's sad that kids who are just starting to make their way in life (they'll be in high schools all over the city next year) feel like so many avenues in the future are already closed off. I couldn't tell if it was [just] the Ivy League atmosphere that made the kids uncomfortable, … but I don't like it that the 8th graders are already deciding that some colleges are too good for them.
Seems there’s more to higher expectations than just academics.
