I am of the opinion that the obvious answer is, "Teach each to his/her ability", but is that something that is doable? I know there is some effort ongoing via "Race to the top" to define base programs and individualized learning, but it is my impression that teachers do not see that individualized learning is possible considering current funding and class sizes, and part of me thinks they are right.

The problem I see is the moment you create a separate system for identifying and educating the gifted, then there will be a tremendous amount of resistance as the concept flies in the face of "No Child Left Behind". The issue is that there really is no definition of what NCLB really means. The perception is that it means every child has the right to the same level of education as any other child, whether they are capable or not. That automatically drags the system to the lowest common denominator whether intentional or not.

What I envision is a system that, from an early age, attempts to identify/quantify ability and set minimum targets for those levels. It needs to be very flexible to ensure that a child is not pigeon-holed into a categorization that is not appropriate.

I would think the ability and testing are fairly simple. It's just a matter of designing something that is used continuously to assess and reassess. I don't think it would require a full psych analysis for every test. It's likely that much of that just needs to be defined clearly.

The individualized learning might be a bit trickier. How does the Davidson Academy handle this (I didn't see Teacher/student ratios on the website). Again, the issue as I understand it from teachers is that it woudl be impossible for a teacher to be aware of the various levels that each student is learning at. I am not convinced that that is not simply a problem that no one has tried to work out in an efficient manner.

What is the future for computerized training? Obviously it has never lived up to the model predicted on "the Jetsons", but it that simply a matter of a lack of vision and focus? Could it be done in a way that provides access to the masses?

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Poppa