MR. EDITOR:
It is good news that we agree that, when there is excess demand, allocation should not depend primarily on chance. It is a point of convergence that allows progress toward a better system.
But it is worth, once again, making some clarifications. The bill does not create a parallel admissions system nor does it give schools the power to select arbitrarily, as the academics from the UC Faculty of Education claim. The SAE, the single platform, and centralized allocation remain in place, and the criteria must adhere to the safeguards established by law.
This does not mean the bill cannot be improved in the Senate. On that, we agree. The space the bill gives to principals to respond to particular situations could be complemented with a catalog of objective and verifiable criteria that schools may choose according to their educational projects: continuity between schools under the same operator or between eighth grade and first year of secondary school, parents or siblings who are alumni, priority students or those with special educational needs, reentry, vocational specialization, or academic performance. In this way, the system has more information, and chance truly becomes the last criterion.
The challenge is, after a decade, to end the discussion about the SAE, correcting its problems and preserving its strengths, and, finally, to devote all efforts to improving our students' learning.
Florencia Croxatto S.
Libertad y Des…
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TO THE EDITOR:
It is good news that we agree that, when there is excess demand, allocation should not depend primarily on chance. It is a point of convergence that allows us to move toward a better system. But it is worth, once again, making some clarifications. The bill does not create a parallel admission system nor does it give schools the power to select arbitrarily, as the academics from the UC Faculty of Education claim. The SAE, the single platform, and centralized allocation remain in place, and the criteria must adhere to the safeguards established by law. This does not mean the bill cannot be improved in the Senate. On that, we agree. The space the bill gives principals to respond to particular situations could be complemented with a catalog of objective and verifiable criteria that schools can choose according to their educational projects: continuity between schools under the same provider or between eighth grade and first year of secondary school, parents or siblings who are alumni, priority students or those with special educational needs, reintegration, technical-vocational specialization, or academic performance. This way, the system has more information, and chance truly becomes the last criterion. The challenge is, after a decade, to end the discussion about the SAE, correcting its problems and preserving its strengths, and, finally, to devote all efforts to improving our students' learning.
Florencia Croxatto S.
Libertad y Desarrollo
M. Paz Larraín E.
Fundación Escuelas Abiertas
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