As entrance in top schools has become more and more competitive, parents are becoming more aggressive in seeking to guarantee every advantage for their children. In the case of Nicole Imprescia, this means going to court to sue a school over its failure to prepare her daughter for the Ivy League. Her daughter, Lucia, is four. The school is the York Avenue Preschool. It seems that there are “Tiger Moms” but then there are “Tiffany Moms.”
The preschool is $19,000 a year and Imprescia insists that she paid the money because (and this is actually in the filing) “[i]t is no secret that getting a child into the Ivy League starts in nursery school.” Imprescia insists that the pre-school was not grooming Lucia for the Ivy League but simply letting her play with friends.
The filing also notes “[s]tudies have shown entry into a good nursery school guarantees more income than entry into an average school.” Wow.
Imprescia insists that the school should have been prepping Lucia for the intelligence test known as the E.R.B. and that she has fallen behind her competitors among the four-year-old crowd.
I know little about the E.R.B. and my wife and I are committed to supporting the public school system. While we have had serous concerns over class size in Fairfax County, we believe strongly in reinforcing the public school system. With Madie completing kindergarten, it now appears that I have already missed the window for top schools and probably set her on a course for a penal institution. On the other hand, she just made a really really cool Leperechaun trap.
Source: NY Times and first seen on ABA Journal
Jonathan Turley
Well now that’s embarrassing, I’m just going to blame auto-correct and an accidental purchase of de-cafe coffee:
“…the difference between correlation and causation.”
I was so desperate yesterday I actually made some of my wife’s chai. Not even the good stuff (our local spice shop sells a spice mix to add to your black tea of choice), this was the crappy Celestial Seasonings stuff.
Buddha,
Get well soon!
Well, SWM….it appears that you favor the daughter more so….I suppose the son will have a cause of action against such parental neglect… a new cause of action….. Sibling Alienation…..
Mike S.,
I agree with you. There are also a few parents in every crowd who like to strut around using their children’s intelligence as a badge of honor–and proof of their own superior genes.
Elaine M.
1, March 15, 2011 at 10:54 am
Swarthmore mom,
Does it test math, reading, writing, and language skills?
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Maybe the school should countersue and claim that the child didn’t test well because her parents gave her inferior genes. Just a thought.
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Elaine…….Don’t you know that all failings of a child is indicative of the failure of the teacher…to teach and that it is not the parents fault because they after all birthed them and it is your duty as a teacher to raise them….regardless if the parent is absentee or MIA…or more concerned with their own social status….than making sure that the child is fed, read to, bathed or gets the proper amount of sleep….after all if the child needs to take a nap in school it is after all just school and they can make it up later…how dare you suggest that parents have any responsibility or part in rearing a child after they are birthed……
wink, wink….snort….snort…roflol…now roflmao…..
Elaine,I did not get into the test for the four year olds. I did not even know that it existed. I think they ask them questions and have them draw.
OT: Several of you have been trying to get in contact with me and this is just easier than individual responses. Down with kidney infection. Will return to posting when feeling better.
“[s]tudies have shown entry into a good nursery school guarantees more income than entry into an average school.”
Of course what studies haven’t shown is that entry into a good nursery school means that your parents will be able to recognize the difference between coloration and causation.
Swarthmore mom,
Thanks. I’m trying to imagine what kind of E.R.B. test would be given to four-year-old children.
I hate this testing-driven society that we live in today. Children have so many talents and creative abilities and qualities that cannot be evaluated by paper/pencil tests. There are also lots of very intelliegnt children who don’t perform particularly well on standardized tests.
Although a broad generalization to make to me their are two kinds of parents in the world, not counting the abusers): 1. Those who want to live vicariously through their children. 2. Those who want to love their children and instill in them the strength and values to make their own decisions on who they become. It seems to me that this woman belongs to the first group and is afraid of the opprobrium of her set. I happen to be know some very wealthy families who fall into category 2 and their children have turned out just as well and successful in their lives and careers. I’m proud of the accomplishments of my own daughters, have always been there to support them, but have allowed them to be themselves and gain self-confidence through their not having to live up to my expectations. both my wife and I are very proud of them and neither has gone to prestigious schools, or aspired to them.
Elaine, The test is comprised of verbal and quantitative reasoning, math, reading comprehension and a writing test. It is difficult to get a good score because the norms are so high.
Swarthmore mom,
Does it test math, reading, writing, and language skills?
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Maybe the school should countersue and claim that the child didn’t test well because her parents gave her inferior genes. Just a thought.
Sigh. Why can’t parents just let kids be … kids?
This is a joke, right?
I mean, for Chrissakes, I didn’t even take the SAT – ever – and still got into the top UC school. Probably could have gone Ivy but I wanted to learn something useful and work for a living.
I’m the kind of guy who is big on the concept of “let them have their day in court”, no matter how stupid the case may be, but this is so egregious that this woman should be fined for abuse of the courts.
Wow, I don’t suppose this person…not going to call her a mom…some kind of mother seems appropriate….is not going to like to have her entire value system put in check…especially when something like this is filed… As a Defense attorney…I would want to know all sorts of personal in intimate details of her entire family life….including, but not limited to asking the judge for discovery of everyday habits of these folks….and if a decision is rendered before the child turns 21 hold it in abeyance until the child’s 21 birthday… and of course award any money to the child or sanction the plaintiff for a frivolous filing…..
Then again, NY has the Best Interest Standard for child custody…parenting…. could this be a proper case for a Guardian to be appointed to assure that this child is properly taken care of….or placed in a proper home environment….
or should the child the 4 year old not the parent…..be allowed to just be a child and learn development skills for proper social interaction….
Elaine, It the most difficult educational assessment test so very competitive schools use it both to assess current students and for admission purposes.
Finally some levity, NO wait your serious…..anyway thanks for this story, after the past couple of weeks of really sad, depressing, but important stories and events, this one seems a relief…
Note to judge:
If you don’t throw this case out and slap this persons hand for filing a frivolous law suite then you don’t have enough real work to do..
Swarthmore mom,
I was a teacher for a long time. I never heard of the ERB test. What kind of test is it?
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Lottakatz,
“Wow, I always figured parents and schools were doing a good job if they managed to train kids not to put jelly beans up their nose by the time they were 5.”
LOL!
I tutored my daughter for the ERB in the fifth grade. I guess we were a little late but I was more concerned about the middle school. We don’t live in a good public school district and entrance to private schools is very competitive. I am guilty of falling into this. I didn’t know much about the ERB when my son was going through the testing process so he had to make on his own but I made up for it on SAT prep.
Wow, I always figured parents and schools were doing a good job if they managed to train kids not to put jelly beans up their nose by the time they were 5.
Maddie built a Leperechaun trap? Sounds to me like she’s off to a pretty good start but my expectations and assessment may not be entirely conventional.