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Any solution to the current educational system failure will have to include the return to [or introduction anew of] the rigorous streaming [segregation] by intellectual ability - i.e. to having separate and by design unequal educational streams, say, 5: retardees, dullards, normals, brights, and the gifted. There ought to be a mechanism for transition between adjacent streams, say, test-based.

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GSlob,

The best way to approach the problem of differing intellectual and talent abilities is to allow the free market to work. Allow parents, teachers, and principals to devise educational programs in a private school setting.

For my family and our bright children I would NOT segregate them in classes filled with child with certified IQs above 140. It is my opinion that these children would and do develop an overweening opinion of themselves and their abilities. I would counsel other parents of similarly gifted children not to do this either.

It was interesting to watch my children mature academically. They immediately formed collaborative friendships with college students ( some graduate students) who were twice their ages and their professors. Not only did they get guidance from the older students, they too had the opportunity to support others. In this mature give and take environment of a serious university and graduate school program of math they soon developed a very realistic opinion of their strengths and weaknesses in mathematics.

Becoming a mature mathematician, GSlob, is far more than taking classes with other smart children. Sorry, but I doubt that an age segregated class of smart 12, and 13 year old children ( even with a junior college instructor) can provide the experience that my children had of associating, learning, collaborating, and socializing with some of the most talented mathematicians in the U.S. today.

I would counsel parents of gifted children to homeschool if they possibly can and to use institutions only as a last resort.

However....In a private system of education the market would soon make self-evident the best course to take.

Our daughter (my wife is a chemical engineer, HS physics and AP chemistry teacher, sometimes geometry teacher) pushed HERSELF through HS with AP classes and a dual-enrollment HS-College for her two last years.

IF anyone's child wants to - and the "want to" is essential! - I'd STRONGLY recommend dual enrollment, or college-level enrollment. AP classes at a minimum.

What she saw as an advantage to going to college at age 16 (as soon as she could drive tot the campus) was

(1) she did the same amount of effort taking a full-time college class (in physics for example) as she did taking an AP class, but did NOT have to worry about the single exam or getting some college to accept the equivalent of a AP class. She had finished it, and would not need it again.

(2) It was a college class, and would be accepted anywhere.

(3) She was on her own, and was finally being challenged by classes, rather than being bored.

(4) Equal-level classes (English lit, calculus, physics, history, etc) were the same in college and HS, so she could avoid repeating a >LOT of stuff in both.

(5) (Most important - to her, at least) College classes weer two days a week, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Even Mon-Wed_Fri classes were shorter, and had fewer tests and assignments. So she could sleep late, go to a 11:00 class, eat lunch and go to 1 or 2 others, then come home. So she actually spent less time in class as a college student than she would have as a *:00 - 3:00 every day HS student.

And THAT let her work part-time for some extra dollars at the library!

Anyway, she graduated at age 19 with a two BS degrees, one in Physics, one in Math - and is now on her way to a masters.

The boys didn't want degrees, so they chose other ways, but it also shows that REEQUIRING a culture of "free college for everyone" only serves to pay for college professors.