In the past decade, philanthropists, researchers, and education innovators have also kept a laser-like focus on serving the least proficient students and improving the worst schools. The best-known charter-school brands, for instance–ventures such as KIPP Academies, Achievement First, Uncommon Schools, and YES Prep–are unapologetically committed to gap-closing.

These schools are terrific, but their recipes aren’t designed for proficient, independent learners. For those students, alternative forms of innovation might be more valuable: for example, online tutoring geared to mastery of advanced subjects, computer-assisted instruction for second-language learning, or distance learning that makes it cheaper and easier to offer high-quality Advanced Placement courses, even in schools where there are only a few interested students (a terrific example is Florida Virtual School, which has served hundreds of thousands since its launch in 1997). The handful of innovators and charter operators already seeking to serve proficient students are often mocked for catering to “students who don’t need any more help,” and have difficulty winning the support of funders and federal agencies. The consequence is that the most interesting innovation in this area is happening outside of our public system–through the efforts of such profit-seeking ventures as the language program Rosetta Stone, the online tutoring outfit Tutor.com, and the nascent private-school chain Avenues: The World School.

Those who argue for reform that’s about overall excellence and improving the opportunities for all students have been tarred in recent years as anti-reform or racist. But laudable efforts to help our least fortunate students need not come at the expense of the rest. We can do much better by all our children–and the first step is escaping the pinched confines of the achievement-gap mentality.

For the rest of the article, go to Excellence for All–Getting Past the Minimum-Standards Mentality