The Washington Post blogger, Jay Mathews, writes about the gifted students who face challenges in being challenged by their local school districts.  The perspective is this: if a student is academically gifted, excels in the grade-level offerings, or perhaps has already taken them in another institution, then the public school systems should provide an appropriately challenging environment, either by allowing the student to skip a grade or by providing specific instruction to meet their needs. Schools have no problem holding students back if they are not performing on par with their peers.  It doesn't take much for a teacher or administrator to decide when this is an appropriate action.  However, when a student displays accelerated ability, teachers and administrators alike seem to dig in their heels and refuse to consider the option of early promotion.  This dichotomy makes no sense to me.  If you can hold a student back because they aren't academically ready for the next level, why can't you promote a student who is academically ready for the next level. There may be a few legitimate concerns for the accelerated student who is placed in the next grade.  What if s/he is not socially prepared?  That child may face isolation.  What if that accelerated child doesn't physically mature at the same rate as his or her new peers?  That child may face abuse.  While I view these questions as essential for the decision making process on an individual basis, I believe parents, students, teachers and administrators should weigh the anticipated outcomes against the students' overall well-being and make a decision based on the whole picture.