“But last week, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine put the issue in the spotlight with an order to analyze disproportionately low representation of minority students in gifted education.”
Uh... just a guess here, but possibly low numbers of gifted “minority” students.
And, let’s face it, we’re not talking about Asians here, and nor is Gov. Kaine, come to that.
Of course, the school system has 2 options. Kick out as many gifted whiteys, asians and other non-blacks as needed so that the the number of gifted blacks in the program is equal percent-wise to the number of blacks in the school system or admit enough non-gifted blacks into the program so that the same goal is achieved without kicking anyone out. Of course, the effectiveness of the "Gifted" program is diluted since it will have to be dumbed down to keep up with the large number of ungifted students attending it.
Another dumbing down affirmative action programs. Then when these students enrolled in the program due to "flexible screening" start getting F's the NCAA will be back screaming racism. Then the gifted program will be dumbed down so these students can pass. Then kids with affluent parents who want to achieve will flee the public school system for private school. In the Richmond area, people move to Henrico and Chesterfield counties to escape the Richmond public schools. Even in very nice parts of City of Richmond itself the white kids go to private schools leaving the public schools almost all black. Of course, the real reason is unmentionable: the whole anti-education attitude of African-American youths who think being smart is acting like "whitey".
We ought to start a class action law suit against ALgore and recover the $100+ million he is reputed to have made off this hoax.
I was in AP courses (1969-1972). AP is so watered down today that anyone can enroll in it. They acually have “remedial tutorials” for AP students....LMAO!!
The conclusion will be, of course, a change in the definition of “gifted.”
BS. or for the bilingual Freepers, El Toro Poo-poo
If we were to expand these statistics, they would have us believe that 19.4% of the population is 'gifted'. Really? 19.4% of the Black population are considered 'gifted'? If I said that nearly 1:5 white students were 'gifted' I'd be lamblasted as a racist fraud, and justifiably so.
So, is the author a liar, or a racist? Or, do the definitions of 'gifted' as the term applies to a minority mean 'average' when compared to the general population?
Actually I will: I had a friend who taught 3rd grade in CA. He said that the policy of his district was to get minority students into the gifted programs NO MATTER WHAT.
Since they cannot, by law, give IQ tests in CA schools they had to use other factors. Outcome: The best-dressed black children were abrorbed into the program on the thought that if their parent(singular, always) was making the effort to dress their chillun nicely then that demonstrated parental involvement and thus the odds of success were increased for that student.
It had nothing to do with merit, intellect, or grades, and of course the limited slots meant that for every nicely-dressed black child brought into the program a genuinely smart kid was expelled.
Many so-called 'gifted' kids work extremely hard and their achievements are hardly gifts.
The concept of equality and freedom is so lost on dems. To them, it is race, pander, race, pander, and then some more race. God I am sick of these aholes.
If asians were counted as minorities the numbers would work out better.
I think we all know what’s going to happen.
1. Make the entrance tests/criteria easier to increase the numbers of a certain group.
2. When that fails eliminate the test since it was racist anyway.
3. Set a quota requiring a minimum number of the desired group.
4. When the desired group flunks out disproportionately, make the subject matter easier.
Why don’t they just take the remedial course and rename it “advanced”. That would solve all their problems.
Look at the family structure.
There, I'll accept a 10% residual on the millions saved.
How about lack of support for academic effort and achievement within the Black community as the cause of the low numbers of ‘gifted’ Black students?
I’m going to go against the grain on this one - there is something to gain here, and the cost is likely to be small, depending.
My kids are all in GATE (Gifted and Talented Education), the local term for it. The district designates kids as GATE depending, in the case of the vast majority, on test scores in the California State tests. SOME kids can get in with various minority privelege options if their tests don’t quite meet the standard, but parents have to request it. Very few do. From what I have seen you will not get a rush of black kids into something like GATE. Parents and kids will have to be pressed into it, and its going to be a fight on that front.
There is no limit here for GATE or Honors classes in middle schools and high schools, because, frankly, there is no extra money provided for them. If anything these kids are way cheaper to educate than the rest. If you have enough Honors kids to separate out into a class then such a class is provided. If the class size isn’t quite enough, then some likely non-GATE kids are offered slots. It seems to work.
What happens to the somewhat above-average kids who get into GATE and Honors, or the “fillers” for Honors classes ? Well, its generally very good for them. Their grades may end up lower than they would in regular classes, where they would be the stars, but they learn a heck of a lot more. They also work in an environment dominated by high performing white and Asian kids. One of the big problems with black people is the anti-intellectual attitudes and the lack of discipline. These kids, being a minority in these classes among quite driven kids, pretty much get these problems driven out of them. “Peer effects” are very powerful.
Whats the downside for the rest ? Low or none as far as I can see. If the “best of the worst” is selected, one is getting the quite well-behaved non-disruptive slice of the black population. Its the behavior for the most part that keeps regular classes in chaos. And it does not bring down the level of the classes if there are only a few of these kids in them (say no more than 10%). There are always duds in every Honors class, who are smart and can do well in a screening exam but are otherwise unmotivated. These kids tend to be better than the duds, they tend to be motivated at least.
The key is numbers and selection. One needs a critical mass of the truly gifted or at least the way above average, and an objective selection of the “best of the worst”.
70 IQ is considered “gifted” for minorities. How’s that grab you. My dog could score that high.
It’s nearly inconceivable to me that gifted black children in districts that have gifted programs are being disproportionately ignored. To the contrary, I believe gifted black children are rarely overlooked in suburban schools such as Chesterfield.
I doubt there is a higher priority among the faculty/administration than identifying gifted minorities and giving them all the school has to offer.
Tim Kaine is packing to leave the Executive Mansion and seems to have misplaced his relevance.
In full disclosure, my son is in the gifted program in Chesterfield. I know it sounds like I’m bragging (and maybe I am), but since he was so far ahead of his classmates, it was that or private school.
And in complete full disclosure: blond hair, blue eyes, and he shares his dad’s pasty white skin.
What if he goes looking , but doesn't like what he finds?
Will we see a dramatic scene of him pounding his fists on front door at the offices at NEA/VEA and shouting "Damn them... Damn them all to HELL!"?