Aliasalpha: Call me a nutjob if you like but I think education should be about personal development rather than competition. Until information can be installed like software, it has to be individual and personalised and frankly I think anything that alters your performance based on the performance of others is counterproductive.
LordCinnamon: Agreed. Also, I suppose it could kill support among students. I find it pretty normal to try and help some of my fellow students that are struggling. I'm not sure if I would do that if it meant lowering my own grade, and I think any system that results in this happening is deeply flawed. Education is NOT about competition, or at least, there is absolutely no need to make it about competition.
I agree entirely with you, but in real world practice, it is all about competition. From applying to school to scholarships to getting a job once you graduate. Education is often seen as a means to a more satisfying career. The thing that gets me is the arbitrariness of it. For example, sometimes its required by the uni for the teacher to adjust scores to the "Bell". School Reputation is all important here in the US and if the school gets a rep as being too easy, the degrees are devalued by employers and a major advertising point for schools to attract students is the % that get into good jobs/careers right out of the chute.
Schools should be about personal development and cultivating critical thinking (buzz-wordy no?). I realize higher education is a business, but I really wish it weren't so.