Quote: An interesting, but not particularly apt, analogy.
The reality is, MANY "college prep" kids turn out to be higher achievers than their "Harvard" counterparts, for many of the same reasons. Among those: poor early evaluation methods, a better or more inspirational teacher/trainer, differing rates of physical/emotional maturity, the raw quality of each experience, etc.
A similar reality is that many kids benefit from a BLEND of "all of the above." Closing one door -- forcing kids to "make a choice" -- is not a constructive approach.
Having taught both, I can say I have had multiple students in CP classes who would stand a better chance of passing an AP exam than some in my AP classes. As you say, early tracking, different maturation rates, etc., but sometimes the high-flying CP kid gets overlooked as he/she matures, and the mediocre early-bloomer keeps the position.
