I had an interesting conversation with a father of grown children recently. He mentioned how his family moved around the county to find the right schools for his children. He asserted this (I am paraphrasing):

"I knew that both our children were of average intelligence and I knew that most public schools do not spend their money on average students. They invest at the top and the bottom. The top students were given extraordinary opportunities. The bottom were given a lot of support. The middle got very little."

They choose a blending of private school and the right public school for their children (who are now grown). I have pondered his thinking and I think that he might be onto something. I fear that things have changed for the worse since he made his decisions. Now, the funding goes to the bottom because accountability happens at the bottom because of things like No Child Left Behind (which could be called Most Children Left Bored).

Classical education, because it is radically committed to different measurements--ones that point toward readiness not for a particular job but for profitable living in a free society like critical and logical thinking skills, and the ability to persuade effectively using written and spoken communication--aims right more evenly rather than focus on the top or the bottom. The results are fabulous!