“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.
Part of the problem is how the “gifted” program is used.
For example, a “gifted” program can be used to entice good students into poorer-performing schools. In that case, students already IN the school might be passed over for students outside the school, simply because the good students already IN the school are already pulling up the school’s numbers. Since the poorer-performing schools are invariably minority-majority, that would discriminate against minorities.
On the flip side, a lot of parents might use specialty schools to get their children out of problem-schools they are assigned to. Since white families are more likely to try to move their children out of “problem schools”, this would mean the applicant base for specialty programs would be skewed away from minority students.
In our county, to go to a specialty school you need transportation to feeder-bus routes. Children of parents who have flexibility, or children who have a parent NOT working, would be more likely to be able to take part in these “gifted” programs, which might skew things away from minorities where they might be single-parent households, or where the job schedules just don’t allow for transportation to common bus collection points.
There is also the issue that white parents might feel more motivated to support their children in being “gifted”, while minorities may not see the advantage or the point.
All these factors could reduce minority participation, BEFORE you get to where you would evaluate the participants.
BTW, I’m certain that part of the reason for “gifted” programs is that liberal whites who tend to control the process want a way to get their kids out of minority classrooms. I’ve seen them make speeches at hearings, struggling not to make the obvious statement that they just don’t want their kids going to the minority school where gangs and drugs are interfering with education.
Stupid, lazy and undisciplined. Uninterested in learning or behaving, although that pose probably actually is a defense mechanism to hide the fact that the vast majority are INCAPABLE of learning or behaving. It looks “cooler”, I suppose, to act like you don’t care.
There’s your “analysis”, Governor: short and sweet and TRUE—send me my check.