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This is one of those "meta" tags.

Currently there are 31 questions with this tag: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/high-school

There are 4-5 questions which specifically talk about high school, but I believe they can do without that tag.

If we keep the tag around, I predict many questions will get this tag just because the asker is a high-school student and will be practically useless (if there was any use of it in the first place...).

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    $\begingroup$ Shouldn't this be merged into the "Tag merging ..." thread? $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:07
  • $\begingroup$ @Asaf: I was under the impression that that thread is for tags already merged? Or are we supposed to propose stuff there? Also, do we talk of tag deletes there? $\endgroup$
    – Aryabhata
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:09
  • $\begingroup$ I also use it for deletion suggestions as well. I guess one of the moderators will give us the "correct" answer... $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:10
  • $\begingroup$ @Asaf: Based on the summary thread, it does look like deletes make their appearance there. $\endgroup$
    – Aryabhata
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:11
  • $\begingroup$ Huh, something happened to my ability to delete tags. Haven't used it in a while.... $\endgroup$
    – Willie Wong
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:11
  • $\begingroup$ Noooo! The tag deletion powers have been deleted, and I didn't even know! (It has been gone since forever, apparently.) $\endgroup$
    – Willie Wong
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:20
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    $\begingroup$ @Asaf Aryabhata: guys, we're going to have to go in and do them by hand. (By "we" I mean "you" and don't do them all at once so we don't flood the front page.) $\endgroup$
    – Willie Wong
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:21
  • $\begingroup$ @Willie: I'm not sure I have the mental capabilities of doing that, you should file a complaint with Jeff about that. I believe that a moderator should be able to delete tags when needed. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:23
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    $\begingroup$ @Willie: No I don't! About half my frontpage is filled with tag-edit posts, that's more than enough (I use 50 posts per page, usually). Also I think that this decision was taken and implemented a bit quickly... What's up with all this nonsense on meta-tags anyway? I never got that. $\endgroup$
    – t.b.
    Jul 13, 2011 at 18:37
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    $\begingroup$ @Theo It is not so much that (high-school) is broad; it is more that (a) there is no clear definition of high school, whereas there are clear definitions of what number-theory etc. are, and a reasonably clear "I can call it when I see it" working description of philosophy and education. (b) Why should the fact that the question is encountered by a high-school student have any bearing on the question? The only answer I have to that question is for the users to address the answer to an appropriate level. But there is such a spread between say Stuy in NYC and some inner city school in Baltimore $\endgroup$
    – Willie Wong
    Jul 13, 2011 at 19:03
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    $\begingroup$ that it is rather meaninless to use (high-school) tag to decide. It'd be much better for all parties involved to approach the answer not from some pre-conceived notion of what high-school is like, but from the mathematical maturity demonstrated by the individual in asking that question. (cf. point (a)). (c) I don't see how the high-school tag can be useful in organization or searches. Whereas an appropriate subject tag (even one like education) can help focus in on questions when certain keywords used in the search has multiple uses in different fields. $\endgroup$
    – Willie Wong
    Jul 13, 2011 at 19:07
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    $\begingroup$ I have no problem with the tag being deleted, but please get it deleted the proper batch way, not with manual editing. $\endgroup$
    – Isaac
    Jul 13, 2011 at 21:01
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    $\begingroup$ @Qiaochu Yuan: In that case, I'd say that the "new proper" way would be to go into the mod chat and look for an SE employee who can actually do the deletion. If we (the SE network overall) do that enough that it annoys them, they might put the feature back. If we don't do it enough to annoy them, then they were probably right to remove the feature. $\endgroup$
    – Isaac
    Jul 13, 2011 at 23:39
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    $\begingroup$ @Aryabhata: It was intended to be openly addressed—as a not-quite-answer to the original question, as a note to non-mods suggesting that this not be done by regular editing, and possibly as a note to the mods to do it via the batch way that apparently no longer exists. $\endgroup$
    – Isaac
    Jul 13, 2011 at 23:40
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    $\begingroup$ @qia we can delete tags at will, but it is a developer level operation. I strongly suggest feeding the tag deletion request to a developer (Rebecca counts) $\endgroup$
    – Jeff Atwood
    Jul 14, 2011 at 11:28

3 Answers 3

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Agreed, it is now burninated.

tag burninated

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    $\begingroup$ Trogdor is pure awesome. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Jul 14, 2011 at 12:33
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    $\begingroup$ I think we need to blacklist the tag too. I suppose deletion would probably do a blacklist too... $\endgroup$
    – Aryabhata
    Jul 14, 2011 at 16:38
  • $\begingroup$ @aryabhata if it recurs reply here and we'll take action at that time $\endgroup$
    – Jeff Atwood
    Jul 14, 2011 at 21:56
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reappeared here (in December 2013): https://math.stackexchange.com/posts/617787/revisions

Feel free to edit this answer if you see this tag again - if the tag will be occurring repeatedly, we can request blacklisting.

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With the coronavirus lockdown and closing of many schools in different countries isn't there a case, at least temporarily, for a way of identifying high-school questions very clearly so that the level of mathematical maturity is identified and they can invite sympathetic responses which will help enthusiastic young mathematicians to learn, and get excited by, mathematics?

It would be useful to have an agreed protocol and discussion given the controversies which arise.

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    $\begingroup$ "High school" does not have a consistent meaning across the globe, and "high school" is not a branch of mathematics nor a meaningful description of any kind of mathematical curriculum. I don't think that I understand how a "high school" tag would help to organize the site. $\endgroup$
    – Xander Henderson Mod
    May 16, 2020 at 14:06
  • $\begingroup$ Answer to your question: yes! I think it's a good idea. This way, for example, one can have for sure that a question say tagged as high-school and calculus will be about the calculus taught at a high school level and not the calculus taught at the university level (which is basically only about theorems and proofs) $\endgroup$
    – user486983
    May 16, 2020 at 15:45
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    $\begingroup$ @Bellatrix Having taught both high school and college level calculus, I don't see much of a distinction between the two (other than noting that the high school curriculum moves more slowly). I have had the same experience with high school and college level precalculus / trigonometry classes. Again, "high school" tag doesn't meaningfully sort posts. $\endgroup$
    – Xander Henderson Mod
    May 16, 2020 at 18:12
  • $\begingroup$ @XanderHenderson Ah. Then I think that it depends on where one is. In some places, even if you’re not studying mathematics, say you’re in the engineer or computer science, etc. the calculus classes are very difficult and it’s by no means like the calculus taught at high school. $\endgroup$
    – user486983
    May 16, 2020 at 21:51
  • $\begingroup$ @Bellatrix That is exactly the point I was attempting to make in my original comment: "High school" does not have a consistent meaning across the globe, and "high school" is not a branch of mathematics nor a meaningful description of any kind of mathematical curriculum. I should also note that my second comment refers to the fact that I have taught courses in US middle schools, high schools, and post-secondary institutions (as the US is most definitely not the rest of the world). $\endgroup$
    – Xander Henderson Mod
    May 17, 2020 at 3:38
  • $\begingroup$ @XanderHenderson Well "Pre-university" then, or something - my suggestion (from UK) is that there might be some chance of supporting young aspiring mathematicians in the weird world we now inhabit. $\endgroup$
    – Mark Bennet
    May 17, 2020 at 5:14
  • $\begingroup$ You seem to make the assumption that a high-school question will necessarily be frowned upon because of its low mathematical level. Not true. The problem lies in questions with no context or no attempt, and with or without the tag, they are not acceptable here. A good high-school question is as good here as a good university question. $\endgroup$
    – Jean-Claude Arbaut
    May 17, 2020 at 20:28
  • $\begingroup$ @Jean-ClaudeArbaut Not so much that, more that answers which include more coaching and placing mathematical ideas in a wider context would be particularly appreciated. But also - certainly in the UK - the nature of "homework" has changed entirely for the duration, and some of the more abrupt responses to poorer questions might be discouraged. So yes, a little relaxation on some questions on the basis that learning to ask a good question taels time. A further point is that young people asking for the first time might not be so familiar with mathematical typesetting. $\endgroup$
    – Mark Bennet
    May 18, 2020 at 5:25

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