A failing from your point of view perhaps, Jason, but the only bit of brightness for students who otherwise found school dull and an unproductive use of their time. My two daughters were in a one day a week elementary school pull out program for gifted and talented students. It was the one day each week they weren't bored stiff with school. I don't know if it made them insufferable, and I don't care. I know that it presented them with academic challenge and opportunity that otherwise wasn't available to them.

True, one of the elementary teachers I highly respected was opposed to the program. He was of the "every student is special" mindset. Yes, but they are not all equally gifted academically. Consequently, both my daughters took honors and AP classes whenever possible when they reached high school. The funny upshot there is that they didn't graduate with 4.0 gpas. The classes were challenging enough that they ended up with 3.9-something instead. Still, academic records like that gained them acceptance to selective colleges and universities: Smith - 14% of applicants accepted, Stanford - 14%, and Wesleyan - 8%. Not a bad outcome for public school education that spends a token amount for academically gifted students.

I find it hard to see the harm that their educations did them. Fair or not, degrees from selective schools open career doors that degrees from state universities don't. One thing you're right about, with their educations and experience, they aren't well suited to working with people outside the "bubble" of other intelligent people. So they don't.