But shouldn’t public education be dedicated to make society as a whole more intelligent and not a few individuals who are “gifted?” Doesn’t society benefit much more that way?
Yes, but not at the expense of holding other people back.
Trust me, being asked to play 'second fiddle' so that someone else can have the same 'outcome' but without doing the work, is far more discouraging and damaging to those who put in the work.
Merit, and hard work needs to be recognized, not ignored.
So does the work load and pace stay at the average classes setting? Or does it scale up to the honors classes and leave more kids behind? Getting an A in an honors class is more valuable than an A in a regular class, just like how placing first in the olympics is more prestigious than first at the county meet.
Trust me, being asked to play 'second fiddle' so that someone else can have the same 'outcome' but without doing the work, is far more discouraging and damaging to those who put in the work.
Merit, and hard work needs to be recognized, not ignored.