Liberals in Washington state have yet again validated conservative criticisms that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs reduce standards and represent a war on merit-based achievement.
One recent instance came earlier this week, as the Seattle public school district shuttered a “gifted and talented” program because it fielded too many white and Asian students.
As The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday, the Seattle school board began phasing out the Highly Capable Cohort (HCC) schools and classrooms for advanced students during the 2022 school year because black and Hispanic students were allegedly underrepresented.
The move was first decided in 2020.
According to the Seattle Times, 52% of current HCC students are white, while another 16% are Asian, and 20% are multiracial. Only about 8.2% are Hispanic, and just 3.4% are black.
The students were selected from among those who scored in the top 2% on a standardized exam administered by the district.
Among all students, about 29% in the school district are black or Hispanic.
“Numbers would suggest that within our city … predominantly white children are more gifted than other cultures and races, and we know that is absolutely not true,” Kari Hanson, the district’s director of student support services, told the media at the time.
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Some black parents also complained at the time. Those parents argued for increasing the population of blacks and Hispanics in the HCC program instead of shutting it down.
The Post reported earlier this week that Seattle’s school board agreed to end HCC completely by 2028 but will begin replacing it this fall with a new initiative that pledges to be “more inclusive, equitable and culturally sensitive.”
“In particular, students who have been historically excluded will now have the same opportunities for services as every other student and get the support and enrichment they need to grow,” the district posted on its website.
The Post noted that the new program, called the Highly Capable Neighborhood School Model, requires teachers to develop an individualized learning program for each of their students.
Some of the parents of the gifted kids believe the new program shortchanges their children.
“You have some kids who can barely read and some kids who are reading ‘Harry Potter’ in the first grade or kindergarten,” one mother said. “How are you going to not only get those kids up to grade level and also challenge those kids who are already easy above grade level?”
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