At the math camps and after-school programs... the math studied is harder than that taught in the public schools. Is this "pampering"? Or is it sustained hard work leading to success?
I see it as sustained hard work leading to success... although not necessarily to being a recipient of college scholarships.
Families often choose summer camps, online programs, or resources and support for independent study to provide their students with appropriate learning experiences and the challenge of curriculum and pacing to match their readiness and ability. Parents provide such opportunities, often at great sacrifice, because many schools are working toward statistically uniform achievement among all students, therefore are not interested in providing advanced academic opportunities which may widen the "achievement gap" or "excellence gap".
In not providing the curriculum and pacing appropriate for these students, schools may provide a lack of mental stimulation which sets in motion brain-based changes which may lead to underachievement and difficulty learning new material when it may be presented years later.
Best practices may be those in which a school strives to provide the appropriate level of curriculum and pacing for students during the regular school day, not just for students entering high school as C students (as mentioned by the OP, if I understood correctly), but also for those who may have already mastered much of the grade-level material and
need other curriculum/pacing to continue their development.
Working to increase opportunity may serve the gifted community better than labeling students as "pampered" whether they are C students having in-school support which has been reported as leading to tons of scholarship money, or whether they are students seeking advanced academics who attend academic camps/classes on their own time.
