Ability plays a huge role in what people can accomplish.

This. Yes.

And this is, ultimately, why such achievement gaps (which are evidently the result of environmental factors and NOT actual ability) really matter.

Because if we're optimizing opportunities for only SOME people, that means that we are not getting the same proportion of people who are capable of truly remarkable, great things. We're leaving some of those people behind.

It worries me that we're seeming to prefer the appearance of the thing rather than the authentic thing here, too-- which is where we get when we focus on all of this testing, testing, testing. We are selecting for people who are naturally, or have been endlessly groomed for, being good at tests. Not sure that we're selecting for truly great things...

Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.