One student may outperform another because she is currently working harder, has worked harder in the past and is thus better prepared, or is simply more intelli

One student may outperform another because she is currently working harder, has worked harder in the past and is thus better prepared, or is simply more intelligent. The professor does not know why some students are doing better than others, and it's his business only to the extent that he can adapt his teaching to improve student learning. "For almost 10 years I have been studying inclusive pedagogy, which focuses on ensuring that all students have the resources they need to learn. My studies confirmed my sense that sometimes what I was really grading was a student’s background. Students with educational privilege came into my classroom already prepared to write A or B papers, while others often had not had the instruction that would enable them to do so. The 14 weeks they spent in my class could not make up for the years of educational privilege their peers had enjoyed."