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TracingWoodgrains and Michael Pershan analyze the effectiveness of ability grouping, acceleration, and personalization software in serving advanced students in the education system. Longer summary
This post is an entry to the Adversarial Collaboration Contest by TracingWoodgrains and Michael Pershan, discussing whether the education system adequately serves advanced students. It examines three main approaches: ability grouping, acceleration, and personalization software. The authors review research on each approach, discuss their pros and cons, and explore the tensions between different educational goals. They conclude with practical advice for parents, educators, and educational reformers. Shorter summary
Sep 03, 2018
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This Week: Adversarial Collaboration Entries

2 min • 298 words • 55 comments • podcast (4 min)
Scott Alexander introduces four adversarial collaboration contest entries to be published over the week, with a subsequent reader vote to determine the $1000 prize winner. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the publication of four entries from the adversarial collaboration contest. These collaborations involve two people with opposing views on a controversial topic working together to present a unified summary of evidence and implications. The four entries cover topics such as the US education system's service to advanced students, Islam's compatibility with liberal democracy, mandatory childhood vaccination, and transitioning for transgender children. Scott will post one entry per day and then open a poll for readers to vote on their favorite, with his own vote counting for 5% of the total. The winning entry will receive a $1000 prize, funded by Patreon donations. Shorter summary
Jun 19, 2018
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The GATTACA Trilogy

23 min • 3,565 words • 133 comments • podcast (24 min)
Scott Alexander writes two satirical sequels to GATTACA, critiquing discrimination based on epigenetics and educational background. Longer summary
This post is a satirical continuation of the movie GATTACA, imagining two sequels that critique different forms of discrimination. In 'GATTACA II: EPI-GATTACA', the focus is on epigenetics, where people are judged based on their ancestors' life experiences. In 'GATTACA III: EDU-GATTACA', the discrimination is based on which college one attended. Both stories follow a similar structure to the original GATTACA, with the protagonist Vincent trying to overcome societal barriers through deception. The stories end with Vincent's brother Anton helping him and Vincent realizing that he wants to change the discriminatory system, not just escape it. Shorter summary