Nightline on test prep & the gifted exams: more "choices" for parents or magnifying social inequities?
The results of the Gifted and Talented exams are in, and according to the NY Times, more than half of the children tested in wealthier districts like District 2 and District 3 were found to be "gifted", while only six children made the grade in District 7 in the South Bronx. Why the disparity?
Are these tests merely a way of sorting children by race and class, as Debbie Meier pointed out in 2007, when Klein first proposed to base all admissions to gifted programs on the basis of high stakes exams, or do the results really reflect children's inherent abilities? And does the proliferation of G and T programs across the city help or hinder the goal of equity and systemic reform?
We have written often about the severe problems with
We have written often about the severe problems with