Scanning the faces and names of this year's graduates, it's plain that many of them have the brains, character and family support that would have allowed them to succeed under any educational system. But then there are always more than a few surprises - the graduates who overcame great adversity, the ones who blossomed late, the kids who could easily have been written off early on. The refusal to give up on any child is among the nation's most noble commitments, and graduation time reinforces the faith that the investment will be repaid manyfold.

Indeed, a refusal to close the door on the potential of any child should be recognized as a winning strategy. Some children's potential can't be spotted until after it has been given a chance to develop. Early identification of children as undeserving of an educational investment can prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Through its profoundly democratic decision to provide educational advantages to all children, the United States has resolved to make the most of its human resources.