In thinking about elite schools, what comes to mind is the caliber of the students they attract and seek – the smartest, most dedicated, and hardworking students. I think this stems from the highly competitive nature of so many elite schools, especially Everdeen in Australia. One student’s explanation from the interview paints Everdeen’s competitive environment as cutthroat and aggressive. The student explained that there is a ranking system for each subject which allows students to see where they stand compared to the rest of their class. Students are continually trying to outperform their classmates, so that some are able to rise to the top. He also explained how the school is academically competitive with other schools. With competition so high at these institutions, it seems as though it may motivate the students to do well, which in turn allows the school to be competitive with others in the area.
Although this kind of environment can be very stressful, I think it would encourage many students to become high achievers. As someone who also attended a private high school, I was very interested to hear about the student ranking system since this is not something I encountered. To my knowledge, it was also not something that other private schools in my area valued. Despite the stress that the ranking can cause, I think it may have created highly motivated students. However, for me, the motivation source was different; rather than feeling pressure from the school and other students to do well, I felt that the pressure came more from my parents. While I applied pressure on myself, my parents were often very interested in my work, always encouraged me to push myself, and had high aspirations for me. I think some of the pressure I put on myself stemmed from the fact that I did not want to disappoint my parents.
After thinking about Everdeen, it would make sense to expect that the parents of these students would have the same high expectations for them, especially because of the competitive nature that was so prevalent. In addition, there is often a steep price to send children to an elite school such as Everdeen, so it would make sense that parents would expect their children to take full advantage of the education they are receiving. Something I noticed in a couple of the interviews was that some parents did not have high expectations for their children, nor were they heavily invested in their performance. One student from Everdeen explained the expectations his parents had for him. In the interview he shared that his parents just expected that he would pass all of his classes and receive a 70% or higher. This then became the goal of the student. While I am not sure how well the student ended up doing in school, I can imagine that if his goals were to receive 70% and higher, he probably didn’t work to do much better than that. Another student explained how her parents were not involved in her academics. She commented that they left it up to her to stay organized and on top of her work.
This was quite surprising to read after seeing how competitive the school was and how motivated many students were to do well. Having parents who apply pressure and have high expectations might be a helpful way to become more motivated. For example, in high school, I struggled with self-motivation at times. Even though it was frustrating, having my parents there to apply pressure and hold me to high standards helped me to become a better student. I think it’s very easy for kids and teenagers to adopt the views and expectations of their parents. If someone’s parents do not have high expectations for them, this may affect how high the students set their own expectations, making it harder to reach their greatest potential. Still, some students are extremely self-motivated and may have other motivators that make them a strong student independently.
References
Both of the images are taken from Imessage #images.
While reading through the student/alumni interviews and course materials, a theme emerged connecting global eliteness to the United States. Students at the Olive Grove Academy, an elite private high school in Jordan, were taught an American curriculum in English. Further, 90% of graduates from Olive Grove head to the US for higher education, and one alumnus noted that about 75% of the teachers were Americans. Why does an elite school in Jordan have so many connections to the United States? The answer lies in perceptions of quality post-secondary education and a globalized economy greatly influenced by the United States.
Many of the national schooling systems we have studied this semester incorporated English and Information Technology (IT) in their curricula. While many schooling systems offered English as an elective, China, Japan, and Russia required students to study it. According to Weis and Dolby, in Social Class and Education, English language education is a key to global success. Proficiency in English allows students to come to the United States to further their education and also to obtain jobs at US companies. Many US companies are outsourcing production to countries like India and China as labor is cheaper and the client base is expanding. However, workers in these countries require English and IT knowledge in order to gain access to these careers. English language education is used as “a way to either retain or gain cultural and economic power” (Anchan, 10). English and IT knowledge are useful skills required for individuals who want to remain competitive in the global economy.
Students attending the Olive Grove Academy in Jordan viewed their next educational steps as pursuing post-secondary education in the United States. All four students interviewed from the Olive Grove named schools in the U.S. when asked where they wanted to attend college. One student, Fatima, mentioned that all three of her older siblings were attending or had attended Williams college in the U.S. Further, all three alumni that were interviewed currently attended elite private schools (Bates, Colby, and Johns Hopkins) in the US. So, what makes post-secondary education in the United States extraordinary?
For starters, Wing-Wah Law (2006) found that “studying abroad in developed countries, such as the United States, [was] often seen as a symbol of socioeconomic status” (91). Colleges and Universities in the United States are not cheap, so it is easy to see how attending these schools aligns with social class. Additionally, in 2004, the Jia Tong University of Shanghai found that among the top twenty best universities worldwide, sixteen were American universities (Orivel and Orivel, 2006). Elite American post-secondary institutions have a long history of academic excellence, including groundbreaking research and countless publications. Desire to attend these schools also makes them highly competitive and selective, thus, allowing the schools to accept the best applicants to further their prestige. The global elite is drawn to schools in the United States because of the forms of capital they confer on the students.
At this point, you might be assuming that elite students across the globe are taught English and IT and seek out post-secondary education in the United States due to the superiority of the country. And up to this point, my research had led me to believe the same. However, the idea that the United States is a superior nation to all other countries is faulty. Rather, the United States has the most influence on globalization processes at this moment in time. And even this influence relies on compliance from the rest of the world. Before the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, global elites had strong connections to the Indian Ocean Trade System. Connections to markets in the spice islands, India, and China signified elite status. In the future, global elites may seek out connections to other geographical areas or to no specific area at all.
References:
Anchan, John P. “Education in India: Progress and Promise in a Land of Paradoxes.” Schooling Around the World: Debates, Challenges, and Practices, by Margret Winzer, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006, pp. 192–204.
Law, Wing-Wah. “Education Reform For National Competitiveness in a Global Age: The Experience and Struggle of China.” Schooling Around the World: Debates, Challenges, and Practices, by Margret Winzer, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006, pp. 68–103.
Orivel, Estelle and François Orivel. “French Education’s Dilemma in the Globalization Process: How to Accommodate Simultaneously the Objectives of Equality and Excellence?” Schooling Around the World: Debates, Challenges, and Practices, by Margret Winzer, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006, pp. 207–228.
Weis, Lois, and Nadine Dolby. “Social Class and Education in Globalizing Context.” Social Class and Education: Global Perspectives, Routledge, 2012, pp. 1–12.
Many elite high schools and colleges pride themselves on preparing their students to be leaders in the economic and social world. For example, an elite school in Jordan has a mission “to develop and empower young leaders who will drive change within and beyond their communities.” Colby College claims to provide “students with unmatched experiences leading to postgraduate success.” But how does this success and empowerment measure for students that have historically been left behind? Both schools mentioned above offer merit and need-based scholarships to expand their diversity and create opportunities for underprivileged students, but how do their elite standings impact the social mobility of the students they attract?
Run BTS. Jeon Jungkook, 2019.
Being a student from an underrepresented socioeconomic class at a technically elite school, in reviewing this research, I began to wonder what the social mobility escalator is like for people in a similar situation to mine. Are students propelled from their low rungs on the ladder or are their class standings reinforced and solidified? How do I make sure I am one of the ones propelled? Inquiring minds would like to know. And even more important than just the student’s individual social promotion, how does attending an elite school impact their community as a whole? Do students use what they learned to uplift their communities or do students leave them in the dust once they get their degree?
Dalila (a pseudonym), a student at a prominent elite school in Jordan appears to stand as evidence that elite schooling does promote students to higher social classes. She attended her high school on scholarships and now attends an exclusive liberal arts college in New England. Already, she has been placed in an environment that many can claim she would not have reached without attending the high school that she did. Her high school provided many opportunities for students to get out and experience other parts of the world while making connections to others along the way. And now, because of the social justice and civic engagement initiatives offered to her in high school, Dalila actually plans to return to her community after college and aid in their advancement. Her plans and current standing both seem to point to the idea of an improved socioeconomic standing.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Stephen Colbert, 2016.
However, according to an international study published in 2019, gaining admission to an elite program only raises the social class of wealthy males with an almost obsolete effect on people from low-income backgrounds. (Zimmerman) This is disturbing information because if their elite education won’t uplift a student’s standing, what will? In class, we are learning that there are many different components to consider when discussing social mobility because of the different forms of capital that contribute to an individual’s social class. I believe that even if their economic and institutionalized cultural capital does not get someone to a higher social class, factors such as social and symbolic capital could be extremely useful in getting jobs and climbing the mobility ladder that way. While at elite schools and colleges, if students can create wide enough social networks and gain recognition for their efforts, hopefully, they can use these things to propel themselves higher than they ever believed possible.
Zimmerman, Seth D. 2019. “Elite Colleges and Upward Mobility to Top Jobs and Top Incomes.” American Economic Review, 109 (1): 1-47.
Everdeen, like many other elite schools around the globe, prides itself on having an individualized, well-rounded curriculum paired with innovative instructional techniques that, together, contribute to the development and the success of each student. One theme that is woven throughout the curriculum, both academic and extracurricular, is establishing a global outlook among the students. This helps to prepare students for successful engagement with the international community at both universities abroad and in the global job market after graduation. To get a glimpse into the academics at Everdeen, I examine the “Curriculum” section on the official school website. Everdeen educates all age groups from “Early Learning Centre” to “Senior School,” and each school has a set of designated practices and goals that are specific to the age they serve. That being said, Everdeen uses the Australian Curriculum as its framework for all levels.
The Early Learning Center, which serves ages three to five, is focused on exploration and the development of a love of learning. This is accomplished through activities that encourage creativity, develop social skills, and contribute to the emotional wellbeing of the child. Given their young age, the curriculum is “play based,” but is said by Everdeen to include “Language and Literacy, Numeracy, Social Thinking, and Diversity and Inclusion.” The values of the school which include trust, unity, and respect are instilled in the children from a young age. Another important feature of the Everdeen school system that they aim to establish at the Early Learning Center is the relationship between the school and the families of the children. Through this partnership, educators are able to learn the interests, needs, and dispositions of each student and cater the learning process accordingly.
In the Junior School which goes up to year four, the values introduced in the Early Learning Center continue to be emphasized with new age-appropriate goals introduced such as decision making, self-sufficiency, problem solving, and independence. At this level, the Explicit Teaching Model, which becomes a trademark of future levels of schooling at Everdeen, is introduced. The explicit teaching model has two main components: the warmup and the “I Do, We Do and You Do.” The warmup is a small chunk of time, about ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning of class, in which students receive instruction that is centered around foundational skills in the given subject. The “I Do, We Do and You Do” component represents the transition from reliance on one’s teacher to independence. First, the teacher gives the lesson, next they work collaboratively to understand and apply the concepts learned, and finally the student is able to engage independently with the material.
As a whole, the goal of the explicit teaching model is to “move learning from short-term to long-term memory, so students effectively retain what they are learning” which also prepares them to apply what they have been taught to various future contexts. This system, which promotes independence, allows for students to work at paces and through mediums that work for them rather than assuming a one size fits all approach to instruction. This individualized approach can also be seen in the nature of assessments which, rather than setting a universal standard, provide an opportunity for each student to look at their results and set personal goals for feasible improvement.
At the middle school level, the parallel education model that Everdeen is well known for begins. In this model, boys and girls take classes separately from one another. This model is based on evidence that, especially in this formative period of years five through eight, boys and girls have different social, emotional, and educational needs. By separating the sexes, the school attempts to cater to the distinct needs of each group and to promote “learning, personal growth and self-confidence” through creating an environment where “intellectual risk-taking can occur and optimal academic outcomes can be achieved.” The curriculum at the middle school level begins to take on a global outlook. This can be seen, for example, through the language program which teaches Chinese to years five and six and then provides the options of Chinese, French, and Japanese for years seven and eight. Beyond this, the aim of preparing students from the globalized world can be seen in “Everdeen Startup,” an entrepreneurship program, which teaches “work-ready skills” like teamwork, digital literacy, critical thinking, and presentation.
At the pre-senior level, year nine, the parallel education model continues, but the students are provided more occasions to socialize with the opposite gender. Opportunities to strengthen one’s global outlook are further expanded at the pre-senior level through the option to engage personally with the international community. Student often use their Chinese language learning skills to navigate time at the Everdeen International School in Tianjin, China or they can opt for alternative short off -campus trips to locations such as the United States. At the pre-senior level, the curriculum features a blend of compulsory subjects— English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and a language— and elective courses students select based on their personal interests. This prepares students to be able to successfully navigate the flexibility of the VCE program that students follow in Senior school, years ten through twelve.
The VCE, short for Victorian Certificate of Education, is the credential that students in Victoria receive for completing secondary education, and it allows them to pursue employment or higher education after graduation. Typically, the requirements for VCE are covered in years eleven and twelve, but Everdeen takes a three-year approach which allows for the required courses to be more spread out and therefore feel more manageable. In year ten, students work with the Everdeen staff to pick a VCE program that suits their individual talents and interests, satisfies their needs, and is appropriate given their academic record. Success in VCE is measured by the ATAR, or Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, which ranks students on a scale from zero to 99.5 to indicate each student’s position relative to all the other students in their age group. In 2020, the VCE results published on Everdeen’s website indicate that the passing rate for the VCE was one hundred percent. Fifty-one percent of students attained an ATAR of ninety and above, placing them in the top ten percent in Australia. Beyond that, a solid thirty-two percent of students attained an ATAR of ninety-five and above, placing them in the top five percent of Australia.
In addition to strong academic studies, co-curricular engagement is also highly encouraged in the Senior school. This takes a variety of forms from sports, which are compulsory, to art, chess club, music, and outdoor activities. Beyond these typical high school offerings, though, Everdeen also offers co-curricular activities that will build the cultural capital of their students and put them at a competitive advantage in the international work force. Such opportunities include public speaking and debating, commerce, and social justice club. Social justice is presented as a significant focus of the Everdeen school, with the “obligation to develop high-achieving students who are connected globally to each other and the communities in which they will serve” at the center of their mission. Social justice curriculum is taught with a focus on generosity, protection, forgiveness, inclusion, sharing of resources, and more. With these values in mind, students are considered empowered to change the world around them.
As a whole, the curriculum at Everdeen is designed to ensure success among all students both during their time at the school and in their future endeavors. This is accomplished in several ways such as individualized learning approaches, the explicit teaching model, the breadth of co-curricular opportunities, and more, all of which help the students grow into a well-rounded individual and gain cultural capital. This development is furthered by the focus on the global which is emphasized in the classroom through learning about international social justice, studying various foreign languages, and exploring unique cultures around the globe as well as through opportunities to travel. Together, these elements of the curriculum serve to create a student body of well-educated, elite critical thinkers and global citizens.
Upon listening to my assigned interviews, I noticed one thing in particular on numerous occasions. While the conversation tended to flow rather naturally, there were definitely a few instances in which the question confused the interviewee, and perhaps the interviewer as well. I say this because on multiple occasions, when the interviewee asked for a clarification about a particular inquiry, the interviewer would simply repeat the question instead of rephrasing in a way that the interviewee could better understand. Then, a half-hearted answer would come, since it was so unclear what was being asked. In my opinion, there were times when this not only stalled the conversation, but regressed it as well. I feel that many important questions were left unanswered, simply because even the interviewer did not fully understand what she was asking. With greater preparation and understanding of the questions, I believe these interviews could have gone far more efficiently.
However, all in all, they did go well, as it seemed like the two participants developed a level of comfort with one another over the course of the three one-hour calls. In fact, I think as they moved later into the interview process, conversation flowed more and more naturally, which inevitably improved the efficiency. For the sake of the research, both on the interviewer’s end and on my end, things in the earlier stages could have gone better without this learning curve. Obviously though, there is nothing that could have been done to prevent it, as the first interview was the two’s first time speaking. This being said, I just found it interesting to see this particular progression throughout the process.
