FWIW, I have to somewhat disagree with this statement..."If they all take the same curriculum at the same speed, it makes virtually no difference."
To some extent that's true, but just by grouping bright kids, there are benefits, even if nothing else is changed. They truly feed of each other, and will be more inspired if they are not the "only one".
Well, that's why I have the "virtually" in there. If the teacher won't let the kids feed off one another in order to keep the class on track with a rigid curriculum, then the benefits of the peer group could/would be undermined to the point of virtually not mattering.
The freer the teacher could be with the curriculum, the greater the benefits, but I was stressing the worst-case scenario. And I could envision a rigid case that minimized the positive effects of the peer group down to "virtually" nothing.
