Racial Distribution of Hawaii’s ‘Gifted and Talented’?
The final story focused on the schools’ Gifted and Talented program and found that the demographics of students enrolled in gifted classes significantly diverged from the racial distribution of the schools in general.
The reporter provided numbers for one school: Public School 163, located somewhere along Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Of the 652 students total enrolled in school, 63 percent are black or Hispanic, 27 percent are white and 6 percent are Asian.
But of the 205 students enrolled in the school’s nine gifted classes, 47 percent are white and 15 percent are Asian. A combined 32 percent are black or Hispanic.
“For critics of New York City’s gifted and talented programs, that image crystallizes what they say is a flawed system that reinforces racial separation in the city’s schools and contributes to disparities in achievement.They contend that gifted admissions standards favor middle-class children, many of them white or Asian, over black and Hispanic children who might have equal promise, and that the programs create castes within schools, one offered an education that is enriched and accelerated, the other getting a bare-bones version of the material. Because they are often embedded within larger schools, the programs bolster a false vision of diversity, these critics say, while reinforcing the negative stereotypes of class and race.”
The reasons for the racial imbalance are many. Some say it has largely to do with a system of standardized testing and other mechanisms that marginalize children from lower-income families.
Hawaii has its own gifted and talented program, but how does it compare with NYC’s? Does it reflect the diverse demographics of the state’s school system or does it perpetuate racial disparities? Which schools have the most gifted and talented students? Which ones have the least? (Here’s a database with tallies of gifted and talented students at each school, in case you’re interested.)
Share your thoughts!
