{"id":2212575,"date":"2024-04-03T19:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T23:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/seattle-public-schools-cites-equity-in-shutting-down-gifted-program-with-majority-white-and-asian-students\/"},"modified":"2024-04-03T19:27:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T23:27:27","slug":"seattle-public-schools-cites-equity-in-shutting-down-gifted-program-with-majority-white-and-asian-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/seattle-public-schools-cites-equity-in-shutting-down-gifted-program-with-majority-white-and-asian-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Public Schools have closed a gifted program primarily attended by white and Asian students citing a focus on equity"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fseattle-public-schools-cites-equity-in-shutting-down-gifted-program-with-majority-white-and-asian-students%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2212575&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Seattle Public Schools is closing its program for\u200b gifted students, mainly white and Asian, aiming to address equity \u200dissues. The decision stemmed from a 2020 board \u200bvote following a survey showing low Hispanic and black student representation. The district plans to phase out \u200bthe \u200cprogram by \u200c2027-28, introducing a\u2062 more inclusive approach in all schools starting next year. Some critics express concerns about the new model placing a strain on teachers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>Seattle Public Schools is shutting down its program for gifted and talented students, where the majority are white or Asian, citing \u201cequity\u201d concerns.<\/p>\n<p>The school board voted to scrap its Highly Capable Cohort program in 2020 after a 2018 survey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentmap.com\/article\/equity-teams-seattle-hcc-racial-disparity-gifted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found<\/a> that only 3.7% of participating students were Hispanic and 1.6% were black. Meanwhile, 11.8% were Asian, and the majority were white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNumbers would suggest that within our city \u2026 predominantly white children are more gifted than other cultures and races, and we know that is absolutely not true,\u201d Kari Hanson, the district\u2019s director of student support services, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentmap.com\/article\/equity-teams-seattle-hcc-racial-disparity-gifted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> Parent Map in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClearly we\u2019re not identifying our children of color and we need to get down to why,\u201d Hanson said.<\/p>\n<p>The district began phasing out the gifted program in the 2021-22 school year, and it will be gone entirely by the 2027-28 school year.<\/p>\n<p>Starting next year, every school will have a new \u201cmore inclusive\u201d Highly Capable Neighborhood School Model.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe program is not going away, it\u2019s getting better,\u201d the school district said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattleschools.org\/departments\/advanced-learning\/services-and-programs\/service-delivery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release<\/a>.\u202f\u201dIt will be more inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 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,\u201d the district said.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the district has three elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools for students in the Highly Capable Cohort program.<\/p>\n<p>Under the new program, gifted students <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240331204001\/https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/education-lab\/why-seattle-public-schools-is-closing-its-highly-capable-cohort-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will not be<\/a> separated from other students but will remain in the same classroom, and teachers will have to develop individualized education plans for each student.<\/p>\n<p>Critics <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240331204001\/https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/education-lab\/why-seattle-public-schools-is-closing-its-highly-capable-cohort-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">argue<\/a> that the new model puts an unfair burden on teachers who do not have the time or resources to give 20 to 30 students an individualized plan, especially since the district is currently facing a $105 million deficit.<\/p>\n<p>Some parents also worry that the new model will overlook more advanced students.<\/p>\n<p>Minority representation in the Highly Capable Cohort program has improved since 2018. In the 2022-23 school year, 8.2% of gifted students were Hispanic, and 3.4% were black.<\/p>\n<p>The school district is made up of about 14% Hispanic students and 15% black students.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, it is still replacing the program after years of attacks from critics.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"sk-tooltip-9096\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1712234347815000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1G-VkjVO0p4qoEkiCI9cqF\">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Rita Green, the education chair of the Seattle Chapter of the NAACP, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-york-education-new-york-city-united-states-race-and-ethnicity-f8cbdb50edba9802fe9ad503cfe7d467\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called<\/a> for the elimination of Seattle\u2019s gifted program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want the program just abolished. Period. The Highly Capable Cohort program is fundamentally flawed, and it\u2019s inherently racist,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n<p>The district\u2019s decision also comes amid broader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leaders\/leadership\/a-formula-for-creating-more-equitable-gifted-and-talented-programs\/2023\/02\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticism<\/a> of gifted programs due to equity concerns.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, then-New York City Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio <a class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/08\/nyregion\/gifted-talented-nyc-schools.html\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/08\/nyregion\/gifted-talented-nyc-schools.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/08\/nyregion\/gifted-talented-nyc-schools.html\" aria-label=\"ordered\">ordered<\/a> the city\u2019s elementary schools to stop testing for giftedness.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seattle Public Schools decided to close its program for gifted students, mostly white and Asian, to address equity issues. The closure followed a board decision in 2020 triggered by a survey revealing low Hispanic and black student representation (3.7% and 1.6%, respectively). Meanwhile, the program had an 11.8% representation of black students in the district as a whole<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":2212576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1093523312.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2212575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1093523312.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2212575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2212576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2212575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2212575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2212575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}