Avira,
I would not defend all things that happen in MO world, and probably many are not defensible, but this is a fault dichotomy “prioritize SAT scores”. Getting a decent SAT score is a normal thing for a kid who speaks/writes English and took a good math course, and then spent a couple of months looking over SAT-specific material. This is not making people OTD or forcing them to miss a masechet. Not saying everyone has to do that, just that in certain circles, this is not a such huge effort.
There are mitzvos to teach the kid Torah, profession, and swimming, and you pursue all of them. Profession requires training. There is nothing political here, even if some make it – on both sides.