Seattle Is Getting Rid of Gifted Schools in a Bid To Increase Equity
When schools get rid of advanced offerings, they hurt smart, underprivileged students.
Seattle is getting rid of its specialized public schools in an effort to increase racial equity. Ironically, this decision may end up hurting the very students the policy change is intended to help.
In 2021, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) moved to phase out its "highly capable cohort schools." The district had three elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools devoted to teaching students at an accelerated pace. The district plans to finish phasing out the specialized schools by the 2027–28 school year. The reasons behind the change are rooted in the disproportionate number of white and Asian students in the program.
"The Seattle community and our families began to demonstrate discomfort with the racial gap disparity in classrooms and in schools now affiliated with" the advanced schools, reads a 2020 SPS task force report, which recommended doing away with the accelerated program. "Our current data regarding students receiving services who are identified as highly capable is disproportionate to the student populations who attend our school classrooms each day….Current practices must be interrupted and an authentic examination of our commitments and priorities must occur."
School officials say that gifted students will still get specialized instruction through the "highly capable neighborhood" model it plans to start next school year. However, a recent story from The Seattle Times sheds doubt on Seattle's ability to make good on this promise.
"SPS is offering a whole-classroom model where all students are in the same classroom and the teacher individualizes learning plans for each student," writes reporter Claire Bryan. "Teachers won't necessarily have additional staff in the classroom; the district is working to provide teachers with curriculum and instruction on how to make it work."
The idea that teachers have the extra time to craft individual instruction for each student in a classroom with a wide range of ability levels is obviously far-fetched.
"You can only do so much differentiation," Karen Stukovsky, a parent with three children in highly capable cohort schools, told the Times. She added that one principal told her, "You have some kids who can barely read and some kids who are reading 'Harry Potter' in first grade or kindergarten. How are you going to not only get those kids up to grade level and also challenge those kids who are already way above grade level?"
Jonathan Plucker, an education professor at Johns Hopkins University told the Times that the new program "is almost asking the impossible of people, that is just so hard."
Bryan's article helpfully points out several ways SPS is moving to increase diversity in highly capable cohort schools—solutions that don't require ditching the program. SPS has begun requiring that all children are tested for advanced academic ability every year from first to eighth grade. Previously, this testing wasn't universal and was conducted on Saturdays—making it harder for low-income kids, whose parents may work on Saturdays, to get identified.
When school districts get rid of advanced offerings in a bid to reduce racial inequality, they end up doing to opposite of what they claim to intend. While wealthier families can move to better school districts or enroll their children in private schools, smart—yet poor—kids end up getting stuck in "equitable" classrooms that leave them under-stimulated and ignored.
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“It says here on your application you graduated from Harrison Bergeron High with a GPA of smiley face?”
You beat me to it.
How much time should we waste on suggestions to improve government schools — not structurally or governance-wise, but in general education curriculum terms? I guess I get it: that the push to get rid of gifted programs is a symptom of general wrongness in government policy and the philosophies driving it; but it might be sui generis.
“ When schools get rid of advanced offerings, they hurt smart, underprivileged students.”
These are public schools, so doesn’t that decision hurt every smart student? Or is this once again a case of “End of the World nears, Women and Children Most Effected”?
Not every family, underprivileged or not can relocate for one child when there are multiple children in various grades and schools.
“… SPS has begun requiring that all children are tested …”
Hey, Emma: the word is BE, not ARE. If you don’t understand subjunctive, please try to avoid writing sentences where it’s necessary.
The most effective form of birth control in the world? Correcting other people’s grammar. -Dimitri Martin
Ironic comment in an article against dumbing down standards.
Kids are not equally smart. Deal with it.
They are. Sadly they see that as a problem and are working to dumb everyone down.
Imaging having a priority higher than getting your kids out of fucking Seattle public schools.
We can end this nonsense in 5 minutes. The football and basketball teams should take all comers in the name of equity, and give them equal playing time. Try THAT one one with parents and students and the school board would be out on its ear in 2 days.
Actually that’s how we do it on those teams below junior varsity level. And the parents want it that way.
That’s not what he is asking for.
The parents want every person who tries out to have equal play time? That may work for K-3 but beyond that both parents and kids start wanting results to the extent possible.
“All classrooms, trades, professions and the like shall be a perfect reflection of the demographics of the general population, otherwise, we burn it down.”
-Authoritarian Leftist Halfwits
“We will burn down the American democratic republic and install an Orange Overlord” — Authoritarian MAGA cultists
“We will set up some juicy strawmen today because they don’t move or hit back. And because we are scared and weak.”
-leftists
And because we are scared and weak.
Outside of the anonymity of the internet, I have yet to encounter a leftist who isn’t.
Only if they are in a room where they outnumber everyone else substantially will they have those icky, detestable things known as “balls”.
Do better.
Once the problem is defined as a gap instead of a lack of achievement it is inevitable the remedy will be to push down the top rather than bring up the bottom. Any institution doing or supporting this should be completely dismantled.
Right, these kids weren’t the problem, the problem is the to be found in the schools that aren’t performing even at the most basic level of education. Instead they concentrate on the nonproblem and tell the smart kids that they are elitist assholes. Fortunately the vast majority of kids have their on drive and initiative, hopefully they can overcome the yolk of medicrity these myopic school boards are pushing.
You write like someone who barely managed to graduate from one of those schools.
“The Seattle community and our families began to demonstrate discomfort with the racial gap disparity in classrooms and in schools now affiliated with” the advanced schools, reads a 2020 SPS task force report,”
Horseshit. Left wing activist administrators oppose excellence but need to make it seem like they are acting on behalf of others so they can say whatever they want without personal consequence.
What we are witnessing here is the slow painful death of the public school system in America and since it is paralleling the slow painful death of the cities, it is happening first and fastest in the big cities. As the more sensible non-socialists abandoned the big blue cities, enhancing the already significant socialist nuttiness, those left behind are seeking to escape further into la-la land fantasies of equality and social justice. The victims of this mass delusional state cannot escape so they join into the folie a deux madness. Like the dinosaurs, high population density urban concentrations and internment camp “schools” are no longer viable – the only question is how long will it take for them to implode, and how painful will it be?
…the only question is how long will it take for them to implode…
When men of deeds decide they’ve had enough.
This is my favorite part: ‘The program is not going away, it’s getting better,’ school officials said on the district website.
Listen Blaise Pascal, I know you’re really gifted at math – but there’s just not enough representation in your gifted class. So, we’re going to make them feel better by bringing them in. Of course, they don’t have a clue how to do calculus, so we’re going to have you doing some finger counting for awhile. DiVerSiTy Is oUr StrEnGtH after all!
The reasons behind the change are rooted in the disproportionate number of white and Asian students in the program.
It just seems Asians are the master race.
i mean, they make all the money and get all the girls. Even the girls get all the girls!
“It just seems Asians are the master race”
Is that why their women are so attracted to successful, competent, highly advanced white guys? 😛
The reason behind the change is rooted in Progressive racism.
This is an article about a decision made in 2021 about a report issued in 2020, to close schools in 2028. Why is this being reported now?