&quot;The brightest folks are not always the hardest-working.&quot;<p>I sure know it, because I was a bit lazy, but they do tend to go together. Even if they didn&#x27;t, I&#x27;m fine grouping them together. The distinction doesn&#x27;t matter for my purpose. Crudely, say that success potential is the product of those two. Multiply hours of effort by IQ if you like. Anyway, it doesn&#x27;t matter for my purpose.<p>&quot;There is more aggregate value in having everyone do a bit better than having an occasional student who&#x27;s amazing and pampered.&quot;<p>That all depends on the trade-off. How much will you hurt the top 10% and how much will you help the lower 50% by the proposed change? If the hurt is great (likely) and the help is minor (likely) then the result is a loss.