This article in the Washington Post discusses the change taking place in some local schools to do away with the traditional testing for gifted students (as well as doing away with the Gifted and Talented label) and seek other ways to identify students with potential - basically trying to find ways to diversify the G&T pool.
Sadly, I think that the impact of these kinds of changes - made I am sure with the best of intentions - not only dilute the effectiveness of G&T programs as a public school recruitment benefit, but also work against the diversity goal they set to achieve. Parents of children who they believe to be gifted will see that a school does not have a G&T program (or at least what they would expect) and will move to send their kids to private schools and lessons and whatnot (those that have the means, anyway) Take them out of the pool, and you have reduced diversity in the other direction.
This trend is reflected in dozens of ways throughout our society: gated communities, private security, private doctor practice memberships, etc. There have been dozens of articles and books talking about how those with the means buy services traditionally provided by the community, then fight against funding those same services for the general population (healthcare anyone?) through taxes. Take away G&T programs from public schools - and those with means will "buy" them
through private means - then validate their fight against property tax increases that support public schools by thinking "my children don't go there."
I remember a very idealistic teacher of mine in high school who thought that the way to integrate society was to build neighborhoods with a mix of housing options - high with low density, high with low income. Sadly, just as politics in this country has become so polarized, I think that the battle of the classes is heading in the same direction. Those with the means will buy their way away from the "unwashed masses." The rich will get richer, the poor will stay the same.
3 comments:
and what was the last name of that teacher?
I think that it was Mr Carney's idea/argument.
The fatal flaw with his idea is the same fatal flaw of Soviet communism: human nature. We are competative beasts, and society (at least American society - if not Western society) generally values competition and high achievement and views consumerism as a measure of success. A $15 Target purse is just as useful as a $1200 Balenciaga bag, but having that Balenciaga bag sends a signal about your place in society that is radically different than the Target bag.
The same goes, on a much grander scale, for neighborhoods and schools (the value of which is usually closely connected). Just as people make value assumptions about your address being McLean or Potomac, people make value assumptions when your home is nestled in a neighborhood of similar homes vs across the street from townhomes, condos, or apartments. Regardless of how nice those non-single family homes are, they are not viewed as being as desirable neighbors as single family homes.
The neighborhood DH and I live in is similiar to Mr. Carney's idea (in that there are townhomes, condos, and apartments mixed in the same general neighborhood as our single family homes.) To be honest, when we move again the first thing I will look for will be a single family home only neighborhood. The increased traffic, the occasional shady character from the apartments down the road on our street, and a myriad of other factors make me realize the difference in "community" between this neighborhood and the one I grew up in (which was all SFHs).
But DH and I are of course also lucky that we are in the position to make that kind of decision.
I grew up in Montgomery County, MD public schools (Class of '97 from an environmental magnet program.) It got me out of a really bad school district, but I loathed the attempts at indoctrination, and the busywork which accomplished no real learning.
My wife is pregnant with our first child. If there is any viable way to privately educate our child, we'll do it in a heartbeat.
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