Certainly nobody should be barred from success based on their race, class, social upbringing, etc. However, the notion of “inclusivity“ is misguided. For example, not all students get into Harvard. Harvard is an exclusive institution, and maintains their rank based on exclusivity, not inclusivity.
What we should be doing instead is focusing on meritocracy: merit.
Now the tricky thing is this: certainly if you grew up in a rich family, and had access to all these SAT prep classes, etc., you’re more likely to thrive and get higher marks, rather than a kid who grew up in the hood, without present parents, etc. What should we do about this?
A simple way to think about it is ranking based on the school, rather than an overall ranking. There should be some dynamic balancing here; perhaps a kid who is valedictorian at their school in Watts or Compton should be ranked higher than a kid in the top 5% at an elite high school.