RE: Are modern education systems designed to create losers?
Absolutely, it is designed to create losers. I agree with what you outlined here. The rich are always going to be able to pay for tutoring and private school and will always have an advantage.
I think beyond that the education system is just so regimented that a large portion of the students are being taught in a suboptimal way.
Many children learn better hands on and when they have a goal they need to accomplish. The majority or learning in school is just memorization. Which is incredibly boring to many students. Especially those that are rather intelligent and don't need the excessive repitition.
Bored students don't pay attention and are disruptive and are often medicated these days. It just goes on and on.
Anyway, good article. It is good to see these things from different angles.
Somewhat ironically I didn't do the chapter justice - I probably oversimplified it.
When I read the first edition of Dorling's book a few years ago I got the feeling he was struggling to articulate some very complex social theory on inequality - with the second edition his ideas are much clearer.
It's next on my list to read properly (by that I mean read/ sum/ apply).
Danny Dorling's well worth checking out - Oxford professor, on-side with the whole Occupy movement a while back.