I'm sorry?
What are you sorry about? Do you disagree that the "even playing field" is a bad thing?
I think it is. Simply because in order to put everyone on a level playing field, you have to move everone to the middle. That is great for the ones at the bottom, but it is penalizing the ones at the top. So it really isnt even.
That's not at all what I am saying. When I say level playing field I mean that every kid should have access to the same quality of teaching, rather than social issues like poverty meaning that certain ethnic minorities are left disadvantaged from the start and are therefore less likely to be able to fufill their potential later. At no point does that drag the other achievers down.
And like most issues of this nature, it actually has nothing to do with "race or ethnicity", but is a socioeconomic matter.
When it comes to legislation or public policy, the only things that should be addressed in terms of "race" are those where heredity/genetics of people of a certain ancestry play a role. And practically all of those are health-related.
I'd add that a completely "level playing field" is an unattainable ideal the way things stand today. The "poverty problem" has never been solved, and as long as it exists, the better teachers (which is difficult enough to measure by itself) will continue to opt not to teach in poverty-stricken areas. Sad but true.
-J