I just fundamentally don't understand why advanced placement classes need to be axed due to racial issues.
Why is this so hard? Just keep the accelerated education program. Then try to help the disadvantaged groups get better testing scores via assistance programs. The issue here is obviously the name of the program. Just change that!
And the effect will be the opposite of the intent - now only students wealthy enough to afford private tutoring or that have a stable enough home environment to self-study can pass AP exams. Wonder what races those students will be?
I'm admittedly talking my own book, having come from the lower end of middle class. I was also the runt of the litter and at the bottom of the social pecking order. Students of all races enjoyed looking down on me to feel better about their own situation.
I retired from working for other people at age 40. I credit gifted/AP courses in 8-12th grade for a significant portion of that. Did my racial background still advantage me? You bet. I had a stable home environment and low crime neighborhood.
Perhaps we should focus on how to offer children stable home environments and low crime neighborhoods.
I can't speak for other cultures, but non-wealthy first generation Asian immigrant parents consciously and constantly sacrifice their own well-being to afford tutoring and extra curricular for their kids.
That's certainly what I experienced at Lowell High, a San Francisco "test school."
I recall that in my AP Chemistry class, 100% of the students were Asian. Nothing kept non-Asian students from taking the class, except the desire to work hard and be there. (The other section had at least a few white kids.)
Because it's very embarrassing for 70% of the gifted students to be white when diversity, equity, and inclusiveness are the goals.
I would be willing to bet that most of the gifted students come from wealthier households and sharing the network effect of having high performing peers. It is almost impossible to distinguish racism from poverty and culture in the US.
Based on the description in the article, I assumed it was a form of "advanced placement" of students with better scores. It includes elementary school, middle school, etc so I wasn't entirely sure what to call it. My school did have AP courses in MiddleSchool though.
Why is this so hard? Just keep the accelerated education program. Then try to help the disadvantaged groups get better testing scores via assistance programs. The issue here is obviously the name of the program. Just change that!