[bsder]

> we can do a bunch more with the non-gifted children than we even attempt.

We can. But it requires a lot more teachers. And nobody is willing to pay for that.

The public education system in the US is at a rough optimum relative to the amount of parental resources that people are willing to spend. If you want to overcome that, then you need to spend a dramatic amount more on teachers and schools (the Gates Foundation data is quite clear on this--25% expenditure increase only begets about 1-3% student achievement increase--you need nearer to 100% increases to get significant levels of student improvement).