> If so, is there something else we can do at the margins to improve primary education by a little or by a lot? One thing we have done that is completely backw

> If so, is there something else we can do at the margins to improve primary education by a little or by a lot? One thing we have done that is completely backwards is mainstreaming class rooms, for both special needs and gifted students. I remember when I was in 1st grade, students who read a little bit slower where in a different reading group from students who read at normal speed versus students who read above expectation. Students would get pulled out per curriculum type to different classes. This continued in middle school, where there were 4 levels of math class (remedial, normal, and two levels of advanced), 2 levels of English and 2 levels of history. (The special needs program was separate, and I am not sure how remedial English or History worked) This type of system works, but it is more costly and harder to manage if we treat it as a "one off".