Measuring Student Potential—with Genetics

Measuring Student Potential—with Genetics

Back in 1965, when he proposed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to Congress, President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote, “Every child must be encouraged to get as much education as he has the ability to take.” Today, that language might feel a bit dated (and gendered)—instead, we might say we’re aiming for “all children to achieve their full academic potential.” But the same idea is lurking inside these seemingly anodyne statements, and it is b…