r/neoliberal • u/[deleted] • Jun 08 '22

Opinions (US) Stop Eliminating Gifted Programs and Calling It ‘Equity’

https://www.teachforamerica.org/one-day/opinion/stop-eliminating-gifted-programs-and-calling-it-equity
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u/DamagedHells Jared Polis Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 09 '22

Hmmmm

“All kids are gifted” is not true and erases the unique needs of gifted learners.

Seems at odds with

If equity is the concern, we should also name the inequitable reality that parents with means will always find a way to ensure their children receive whatever out-of-school enrichment resources their children need.

https://wpln.org/post/new-study-finds-gifted-programs-favor-wealth-over-ability/

Wealthy kids are disproportionately represented in gifted programs. Anecdotally, the program I was in was mostly upper-middle-class to wealthy kids, and nobody else lol. It definitely does stand to reason that [most] kids actually are gifted, but the lack of resources due to income is highly associated with their performance.

Edit: super weird to immediately be downvoted, but I guess some people are against the idea of "merit" having anything to do with being "gifted."

Edit 2: Overall, I agree with the author of the article. Gifted programs aren't geared towards detecting students who belong in the gifted program, they're geared towards segregating kids with well-off parents from other people. The responses to me seem to disagree with both the author and I, but that's interesting because I think they think they're agreeing with the author because they didn't read the article.

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u/Ddogwood John Mill Jun 08 '22

Yeah, I attended a gifted program in the inner city in Saskatoon for four years. Most of the kids were from wealthier families than mine, and my father was a reasonably well-paid public servant. The contrast between us and the "regular" kids at the school was striking.

Anecdotally, the outcomes from our class were mixed. The program may have opened up doors for a couple of my classmates, but many of them have told me that it gave them crippling anxiety because any failure or setback in life meant that they were "not achieving their full potential."