Widespread concerns about educational equity are contributing to a decline in opportunities for talented people across Massachusetts. Advocates say it leaves prodigies and their parents frustrated and forced to turn to expensive alternatives to meet their children’s needs.
In one example, in Boston, a public school program for high-achieving fourth, fifth and sixth graders known as Advanced Work Classes was suspended during the pandemic, with Superintendent Brenda Cassellius citing concerns about “equity.”
She is from Boston GBH News “The district has a lot of work to do to combat racism and develop policies that ensure all students have the opportunity to receive an equitable and excellent education,” he said at the time.
More recently, a local high school in Brookline, Massachusetts, considered eliminating an advanced English course in the name of equity, citing arguments that it put students of color at a disadvantage. The school ultimately rejected the idea, but the same district previously eliminated an advanced ninth-grade social studies course. According to the Boston Globe.
Equity issues are more widespread, with California schools using it as a reason to cut advanced programs. Seattle schools recently eliminated their own gifted education program in the name of equity. In New York City, former Mayor Bill de Blasio gained notoriety when he announced the end of gifted education programs due to concerns about racial disparities.
California parents and students protest high school’s plan to cut honors classes on equity grounds
Gifted children in Massachusetts have fewer opportunities than they did decades ago. (iStock)
Michelle Bermerzel and Karen Bloomstein, co-presidents of the Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education (MAGE), speculate that the same fears may be behind the state’s reluctance to offer gifted education programs. The Boston Globe States, particularly in the Northeast, worry that such a program might be perceived as “elitist.”
talk Fox News Digital In a recent interview, she said concerns about fairness are not only unfounded but also at odds with the reality for many families in disadvantaged groups.
“The idea that it’s elitist couldn’t be further from the truth, because if you’re offering gifted education programs in public schools, you’re systematically providing access to all students, regardless of their zip code, their socioeconomic status, their racial background, whether they’re an immigrant or an English speaker. You’re systematically providing opportunity,” she said.
Vermazael agreed, adding that by focusing on children and families of certain races, such as African-American and Hispanic-American, “we’re essentially creating a huge equity gap by not providing education in our schools, and ensuring that only those who can afford to support their children remain upper class.”
a 2019 Survey A study commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education confirmed Bloomstein and Bermerzel’s concerns, showing that a comparison of student achievement in third and sixth grades showed different trajectories based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
“After identifying the top 12 percent of third-grade students in 2014, as measured by math MCAS scores, we followed those same students for three years. Fewer than half (45.2 percent) of the academically high-achieving third-graders remained in the top 10 percent through sixth grade,” the study states.
“But even more surprising are the disparities across students’ race and ethnicity. By sixth grade, only 21.0 percent (50 students) of high-achieving black third-graders and 23.3 percent (130 students) of high-achieving Hispanic third-graders were in the top 10 percent of students…”
At the same time, 43.6 percent of white students and 71.8 percent of Asian students were still in the top 10 percent.
The study noted that disparities for low-income students were similar to those for racial and ethnic minority students, with only 24.8% of this group remaining in the top 10% by sixth grade.
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Gifted children may feel isolated from their peers, become depressed, or lose motivation to complete their classes because their needs are not being met. (iStock)
Now, advocates worry that only the best kids from families who can afford private education and extracurricular programs will be able to get instruction rigorous enough to satisfy those bright students, but for families who can’t afford it, the impact will be long-lasting.
“We have families coming to us every week with children in crisis. They become depressed. If they don’t feel worthy of going to school or don’t feel like they have a chance to try, they lose motivation, they stop going to school and it gets even worse,” said Barmazel.
“Someone explained to me years ago that if your boss said to you every day, ‘Hey, can you do this job? What’s two plus two?’ How would you feel as an adult? You would feel disrespected, you would lose motivation, and you would be a little resentful of this person treating you like this.”
She explained that because gifted students feel disrespected for even simple tasks, many of these children are diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), a behavioral disorder characterized by children displaying persistent anger and defiance toward authority figures.
Unfortunately, Bloomstein said, many of Massachusetts’s teachers who were trained and experienced in gifted education have retired and taken their knowledge with them, leaving many teachers today who don’t know how to work with gifted children.
“Massachusetts eliminated gifted education certification in 2019 after no one had used it for 20 years,” she added.
Bloomstein said he has witnessed many gifted kids struggling to fit in with their peers and feeling isolated because of their differences. Some are even used as mentors in the classroom to help others complete assignments faster than others.
“Mentoring is a great skill, but the child is not there as a teacher’s assistant or a tool for educators to manage behavior. The child should also have the opportunity to learn and grow,” she said.
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Massachusetts once had an office for gifted students, but that office was dissolved in the early 1990s and the program has languished since then. (Fox News)
Bloomstein said grade-skipping was a cost-effective solution to place children where they needed to be based on their intellectual abilities.
In addition to the equity arguments, the state has also performed poorly at sustaining such programs over the long term, especially compared to other states.
A 2019 study found that “only 3.7% of schools (69 schools) in Massachusetts reported offering gifted education programs,” compared to 57.6% of schools nationwide.
For example, the same Boston Globe article quoting Bloomstein noted that gifted programs were common in the Bay State in the 1970s but faded with budget cuts. A complaint was filed in 1990 He said a quarter of state programs in the area had “disappeared” after $900,000 in state gifted education grants were cut last year.
The state’s Office for Gifted and Talented Students was also disbanded in the early 1990s.
“[The Office for the Gifted and Talented] “The program was run by very dedicated people, there were six satellites around the state that were developing talent, and all the infrastructure was there – school support, training, certification,” Mr Barmazel said.
“That person left, the budget was cut and the focus shifted elsewhere,” she added.
Not only do Bermesel and Bloomstein’s organizations provide gifted children with media (websites, activities, videos, etc.) tailored to their unique needs, they also provide support to parents and resources to educators to better understand gifted children and enrich their curriculum through specific strategies and methods.
of Organization website It includes resources for these groups, as well as links to other research and articles on gifted education, including some that focus on the “equity” debate.
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