There's another problem with school that I think links this in with Eric Raymond's "Curse of the Gifted" -- namely that the smart kids do well without practice.

There's another problem with school that I think links this in with Eric Raymond's "Curse of the Gifted" -- namely that the smart kids do well without practice. The message that, to compete at the best of your potential, you need to practice does not get through to smart students. More clearly illustrating the link between practice and success would do a great service to the smart kids who are coasting. As for exams, it would be better if students worked at their own pace and took exams as soon as they were ready for them.