I wholely disagree, it's just that people see the two groups differently. The bottom-5% kid who has trouble tying their shoes is an easy target for sympathy and you can throw money at special-ed programs. The top-5% kid who's bored off their ass and could be excelling elsewhere, not so much.

My explanation is that americans consider ourselves individually to be exceptional, and have trouble recognizing when others are. To the detriment of everyone.