Tutored tots.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: Tilting at Windmills - Brief Article

Back in 1940, people didn't worry about getting their kids into the right kindergarten. Today, there is a whole industry devoted to preparing children for kindergarten. An example of what they do comes from The Wall Street Journal's June Kronholz:

"On a bright summer day, Hank Barnes settles in the chair across from his tutor, a pile of work between them and an hour's lesson ahead.

"Hank is four years old, and among the worries that prompted his mother to enroll him at the Sylvan Learning Center here is this: Hank was behind on his scissor skills."

Incidentally, Sylvan's main competition is Kaplan, which is part of The Washington Post corporate empire. Indeed, Kaplan is the company's biggest profit-maker. Since its success depends on exacerbating the anxieties of the meritocracy, the Post, however distinguished its reporting...