THE ALGEBRA 1 SYNDROME

OK, I live in California and it is a pretty well known fact that if a student does not take Algebra 1 by grade 8, they will not have the necessary requirements to attend a University of California institution or maybe not even a California State University. That means, if a student is not given Algebra 1 in grade 8, they reduce their chances of going to college in the State of California.
With that being said, my son's school realized this. Unfortunately, they realized this after the school year had started. Even worse, they failed to realize this when the students were in grade 7 so that they could prepare these students to start out in Algebra 1 when school began in the Fall.
Well, someone, in their infinite wisdom, decided to give the students who were not programmed in Algebra 1 an intervention/boot camp. I have my own thoughts on intervention (it doesn't work) versus a rigorous curriculum. I understand the No Child Left Behind game that many districts and schools are playing right now. What shocked me was that this school gave students the intervention (which doesn't work) and put them in an Algebra 1 class in December (3 months after school started.)
Parents clapped and cheered, but they didn't realize that this move would actually cause their children more harm that good. They will have 3 months less of preparation for standardized tests than the other Algebra 1 students. Not to mention that many of these students unprepared for the class in the first place.
There is a lot of talk about parents being the key to a child's academic success. However, many of the parents don't have all of the information to make an informed decision. Just like most of us don't know what McDonald's secret sauce is, but we assume that McDonald's does. If McDonald's trusts the secret sauce, who are we to differ? Most parents feel the same way about school. If the teacher, principal, or school says this is best, who are we to differ?
We expect a lot from parents, but we give them so little in return. Not one educator (other than myself) told these parents that the Algebra 1 situation was completely out of place. This was an issue that should have been addressed when the students were in grade 6, not pushed upon them in grade 8. If we really want parent participation, we have to respect the parents and not just let them know part of the story. The Algebra 1 syndrome plays itself out all across this country every day, but what does that do for the academic achievement of our students?