OAN’s Avril Elfie
11:16am – Thursday, April 4, 2024
The Seattle Public Schools Board announced it was officially discontinuing a program for gifted students, citing “equity concerns” related to a lack of diversity.
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The school board decided to eliminate the program in 2020 after a previous study conducted in 2018 found that only 3.7% of participants were Hispanic and 1.6% were Black. It was resolved. Furthermore, his 11.8% of students in the program were Asian, and the remaining students were Caucasian (Caucasian).
“If you look at the numbers, it appears that primarily white children in our city are more talented than other cultures and races,” said Kari Hanson, the district’s director of student support services. I know that’s absolutely not true.” parent map “It is clear that we are not identifying children of color and we need to find out why…”
The district will begin phasing out the program in the 2021-2022 school year and is expected to be completely eliminated by the 2027-2028 school year.
But from next year, all schools will have entirely new, “more inclusive” schools. High-ability neighborhood school model.
“This program is being improved, not eliminated,” the district said in a release. “It will be more inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive. “In particular, students who have historically been excluded will have the same opportunities to serve as other students. They will have the support and fulfillment they need to thrive.”
Meanwhile, many parents also contacted administrators to directly express concerns that the new model would “miss out on advanced students.”
In 2021, Rita Green, education chair of the NAACP Seattle branch, called for the complete elimination of Seattle’s gifted student program.
“We just want to abolish this program. Period. The High Ability Cohort Program is fundamentally flawed and inherently racist,” Greene argued.
The district’s decision comes amid widespread criticism of gifted programs nationwide due to similar equity-related concerns.
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