Comment by BrenBarn

Maybe instead governments should pursue resource equalization. Some posts on a linked blog (https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/education-doesnt-work-2...) suggest that the differences in achievement between different demographic groups can be due to environmental differences. Unequal "head starts" due to economic circumstances are an obvious one. It may be that the best way to "pursue excellence" has nothing to do with education; it may have to do with taking money away from very wealthy people and giving it to less wealthy people.