All students can rise to the challenge.
Indeed, we cannot expect them to do well unless they are challenged. In October, NSF released a related report titled A Splintered Vision, comparing curricula and textbooks in the U.S. to those of more than 40 foreign nations. The report found that U.S. curricula lack focus and are packed with information, almost guaranteeing that no one topic can be taught in depth. Also learned was that U.S. teachers have far less time to think about what they teach and how best to teach it. Lane noted that NSF has begun to accumulate evidence that successful learning is possible regardless of a student's race or economic background.