Thanks for excerpts from the article in the Atlantic, syloblrig.
As for differentiation, too often children do not receive differentiated
instruction, but differentiated
task demands.
I feel really strongly-- based on my own kids' deep frustration with being unable to advanced at a reasonable pace-- that this single track is the wrong approach and puts the best math students at a disadvantage they might not be able to overcome.
Agreed. There are multiple parts to this:
1) In a one-track approach, the best math students may not gain a year's worth of knowledge in a year of school. This may help close the achievement gap or excellence gap, which benefits teachers and schools which are rated on this basis.
2) These benefits to teachers/schools for closing the gap comes at a cost to these students (the former "best math students"): They may learn to underachieve, their brains may undergo changes, they may find it difficult to take on a challenge and begin learning again.
