[1stop]

Is this like saying "Rich people should hoard their wealth"?

There is something to be said for Smart kids being at school both receive and PROVIDE benefit to/from the other students.

But I guess, who cares about dumb kids, who had less opportunity than the smart ones? They'll get a better draw next life!

[dkopi]

Actually, smart kids usually end up a net loss for classes. They get bored. so they skip classes, or end up sitting in class bothering everyone else. They also end up frustrating other kids because "why does it come so easy for X but not for me?" Bad teachers even use smart kids as examples: "See, you all should be a lot more like smart kid".

A smart kid isn't going to magically become a free tutor for other kids at school. Let teachers focus on educating. Don't shift that responsibility to teenagers who could be advancing significantly in other environments.

[1stop]

Research shows the opposite. Mixing ability levels increases the median mark. The point of public funded education is not to produce a minority of geniuses but a majority of smart people.

[ZeroGravitas]

I'm not sure whether it happens "magically" or not, but the research is traditionally interpreted to suggest that classes of mixed ability do better on average.

[LyndsySimon]

Even if for the sake of argument we assume your assertion that "smart kids" benefit their classmates is correct... on what basis do you assert that those "smart kids" owe their classmates anything at all?

Why are their classmates entitled to an education at their expense, and what do the "smart kids" get in return?

[1stop]

This is like asking "what do I get out of not robbing the old lady in the park"... You don't get anything for not doing that, and you miss out on cashing in her pension cheque.

[LyndsySimon]

Robbing someone is a property crime, with a threat of violence.

It's completely irrelevant to this conversation.

[1stop]

I see, so we have an arbitrary law around an amoral action, so it's not relevant to the discussion of amoral actions?

I don't follow the logic.