Now those separate programs will be eliminated and the students returned to the general student body. The move is part of a campaign to eliminate racial disparities not by elevating the performance of minority students but by removing standardized testing and special programs that highlight such disparities. The De Blasio panel previously declared such programs to be “segregation” due to the lower number of minority students. G&T programs have been denounced by some as racist because a disproportionate number of white and Asian students are in the advanced programs. This movement was on display this week after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the elimination of the Gifted and Talented (G&T) program for the city’s school system. Indeed, it promises a kind of equity through mediocrity that all families should reject. Across the country, school districts are removing advanced programs and even standardized testing to achieve an artificial appearance of equity. While much of our public debate today has centered on the teaching of the concepts of systemic racism and white privilege, a far more worrisome trend is sweeping our public school system. Mencken once denounced public education as an effort “simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.” Mencken’s fears may be coming true in a way that few of us thought possible just a few years ago. I have long been critical of this trend which focuses on reducing disparities in performance by trimming the top rather than raising the bottom of a student body. This was highlighted recently by the elimination of the gifted and talented programs in New York City under Mayor Bill de Blasio, which were denounced as racist. They should reflect on “(the effectiveness) of family referrals for students of color, and what supports exist to increase their advocacy, awareness, knowledge, and efficacy/empowerment,” ” Leverett said.Below is my column in the Hill on the elimination of the gifted programs, proficiency requirements, and other performance-based elements in our public school system. “Schools must confront, interrupt and investigate the attitudinal climate. In order to rectify this, Leverett suggests “upstander parents,” parents who “look, listen, and take action on behalf of their children.” Leverett argues that when it comes to access and quality of gifted education, parental advocacy is needed, along with work put in by the schools themselves. So, what is ultimately at the root of this issue and how can it be repaired? A solution provided in a research study entitled, “ Black Smart: Examining A Gifted Education Program’s Outreach And Engagement To Empower Parents Of Gifted Black Students ,” by Ashley Andrea Leverett (specifically examining Waters ISD and Hylo Park Intermedia School) the proposes that in their research, they found that deficit thinking is the cause of under representation, and also due in part to a misguided view of what it means to be gifted. According to Commit Partnership, over 5 percent of students in Texas “are not assessed for potential inclusion.” As of a study conducted in 2019, there has been no significant increase in minority enrollment, only accounting for 14 percent of the student population in Texas, but are only 6 percent of those enrolled in gifted programs. However, of those students 59 of every 100 would need to be enrolled in order to offer fair representation. For instance, in Texas, for every 100 students, 99 are given access to gifted and talented programs, according to Ed Trust. But, within this primarily Black and Hispanic district, the gifted and talented programs have several problems in and of themselves. Of the Dallas Independent School District’s gifted and talented programs, most of which are primarily Black and Hispanic. So, how do Texas’ gifted and talented programs fair in terms of discrimination? Well, in the city of Dallas itself, it was found by Pro-Publica (as of 2018) that Dallas is a highly segregated district with Black students more likely to be behind than White students, and White students 2.7 more likely to be enrolled.
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