On September 28, 2011, the New York Times broke an unprecedented story about the private school world. The tutoring firm, Brattle Street Coaching, had gained access to the parent directory of the prestigious New York City private school, Riverdale Country, and sent promotional letters by mail to junior parents whose children are enrolled in the 11th grade interdisciplinary American studies course, "Constructing America." Sending unsolicited emails is disgraceful enough, but stirring up fears about a course -- already reputedly tough -- by suggesting that Brattle Street's tutoring services were essential to successfully manage the work is outrageous and unconscionable. Apparently the company has carefully analyzed, organized, and created "summaries" of the reading material in "Constructing America." But in essence, they have created what can only be described as "cheat sheets." And that's not a laughing matter.
In the same article, co-founder of Brattle Street Leelila Strogov defended the promotion by claiming Riverdale itself was to blame for her company's actions. Her other remarks intimated that Brattle Street was acting almost nobly, trying to shelter students from cruel and unrealistic workloads, designed by Riverdale's callous administrators and teachers who apparently have no conception of how much a 17-year-old can handle.
Strogov's explanation for Brattle Street's behavior is an insult to our intelligence. The problem is not only what the company did, but also what its desperate strategy to corral business implies about families attending elite private schools -- that they are so unprincipled they are willing to sabotage the reputation and policies of the schools their children attend by hiring expensive "cheating assistants." The thought may be comforting to the general public, but it has little to do with reality.
Instead, the vast majority of private school parents are successful, disciplined professionals who understand what it takes to flourish in a competitive society. Ultimately, they hope their children develop into independent and motivated thinkers, armed with skills that will provide them with opportunity. They carefully consider tutoring or any other outside help as part of a comprehensive, long-term program in attaining that goal.
This post has been updated since its original publication.