Finding the Balance
Yet educators and the public also prize individual excel-
lence—cream rising to the top. Differentiating the curriculum
for students—for example, for gifted students, students in
advanced placement courses, English language learners, and
students with special needs—enables schools to customize
learning opportunities and cultivate individual achievement.
Differentiating instruction through such approaches as small-
group learning, individual projects, online instruction, and
student choice helps students achieve academic excellence,
become valedictorians, and enter universities. Without such
differentiation, a uniform curriculum taught in largely the
same way to all students in the name of equity can frustrate
both high-achieving students and their classmates who need
extra help in mastering academic content and skills.
© EVA VAZQUEZ
