Editorial: Painting involves a sequential application of layers, each of which adheres satisfactorily only if the underlying layer has been properly applied. Education is, in this respect, like the craft of painting. Since the most important steps in painting are preparation of the surface to be painted and application of the primer coat, it makes sense to suppose that__. Which one of the following most logically completes the editorial's argument? ['teaching new students is rewarding but much more difficult than teaching more advanced students', "the success of a student's overall educational experience depends above all upon that student's initial educational experience", 'students who have a secure grasp of the fundamentals of a subject are likely to make progress in that subject', 'educators who are not achieving the goals they intended should revise their teaching methods']