教育活動不可避免的存在競爭現象，舉世皆同。如何使競爭產生的負作用減至最低，就成為教育改革的重點。本文以我國高中入學制度之變革為例，說明我國教育現象中的競爭情形。文分四部分。第二節主要詮釋我國升學競爭的背景，並以日本和德國作參考，說明我國「單軌多支型態」的競爭邏輯，並以明星高中的現象說明競爭的嚴重性。第三節則評述，近年來高中入學制度之改革方案。筆者區分成三階段：一、傳統時期：聯招分流學生；二、修正時期：改進技術以防弊；三、變革時期：解構分流機制。筆者認為在普遍學歷高漲的現代社會中，無法透過「冷卻」以解決升學競爭。我國近年之教育改革，大概是以美式的學制為主軸，而美式高中是以不分流為其特色，如何彰顯其精神，透過解構分流，從根本上紓解我國升學競爭而帶來的弊端，應是未來的重點。而在變革的過程中，更應該對自己的文化、歷史背景與社會結構有所掌握，而不是僅在於學制的移植，才能使學制的典範變革促成教育的進步。

　　　　　It's inevitable to produce competition in educational process. How to reduce the bad influences of competition in entrance examination becomes the most important issue of educational reforms in many countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the competive mechanism of education and focus on the high school entrance examination in recent decades. The first section begins with an introduction to this issue. Next, a summary of the history background of competitive mechanism, and the school system in middle education in Taiwan has been given in the second part of this paper. The third section discuss the high school entrance examination in recent decades. The author conclude three period: (1) traditional stage , tracking system by entrance examination for educational equality. (2) improving stage, improving examination methods and skills for reducing the bad influences. (3) reformed stage, beginning to criticize and deconstruct the tracking system. In the conclusion section, the author think it is understandable that there is no one who does not want either himself or his children to stand a better chance by obtaining a higher degree in modem society. So, the cooling out function of tracking system can not succeed. If we follow the example of American comprehensive high school for replacing tracking and entrance examination, we should pay more attention to our cultural background and social construction, then we can embody the spirit of American paradigm and construct our educational ideal.