Seattle Public Schools faces a wave of criticism as it dismantles its Highly Capable Cohorts program for gifted students, a move administrators claim will lead to more diversity, equity and inclusion in the district. The shift replaces the old program with a new one initiated in 2021: the Highly Capable School Neighborhood Model, a whole-classroom approach in which students of all capabilities are in the same classroom, but the teacher individualizes learning plans for each student.
There won’t be extra staff for that model, leading some critics to question how sincere the district is at addressing needs of gifted learners, who can become problem students if they suffer from chronic boredom. In addition, teaching gifted students is a specialty, as is teaching students with learning disabilities. In Seattle, slow learners and fast learners will be in the same class, and teachers will have to adapt.
According to the district’s website, the decision reflects a commitment to addressing historical inequities by altering how advanced learners and highly capable students are identified and served.
The Washington Policy Center has criticized the change, saying it is racially motivated.
Senate Bill 5044 was passed by the Washington Legislature in 2021 and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, adding diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism curricula to existing cultural competency training for school board directors, district staff, and school staff.
The school district says the new model will offer improved services, and will be “more inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive.”
In Anchorage, the Anchorage School Board is planning to cut the IGNITE program for gifted students in its upcoming budget. the plan is to cut the program from 20 teachers down to two teachers who would be tasked with covering 60 elementary schools and a total of 2,000 gifted students in Anchorage.
They need to sue for discrimination.
Just because you learn more and quicker is no reason to be deny the abilities to learn.
“All men are equal, none above the rest” This quote from unknown source, comes to mind reading this educational tripe. Coming from this Anchorage board is no surprise.
All men are not created equal.. I know a bunch that are amazingly talented then there is the rest of us.. the crime here is holding down our brightest.
Reminds me of the short story Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut.
‘poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids’ -Joe Biden
Good job 81 million, good job.
But according to FJB “I will not have MY children going to school in a zoo” when asked about inter-racial schools…(back when He was at least a little saner)
Brain-washing is the desired way by Democrats to affect their political outcomes. Brainwash the kiddies early and often. Publish little Democrat red books for them to memorize and carry around with them. Communist countries do this all the time. Lessons from Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, Marx, and ……..Kim.
Who needs smart, educated people when you can have gunpoint diversity?
Public school is child abuse.
Destruction
Enslavement
Incompetence
Asians are probably most disadvantaged by elimination of gifted programs. But then these folks aren’t “real” minorities. Right?
Seems like certain elements of our School Administration are determined to degrade the education for gifted students. Why? It is bad enough that correspondence schooling is no longer to be supported. I guess the goal is to educated our students to the level of the lowest common denominator in each class. “improved services”? I think not.
For On Track students it was time for them to move on out of public school into a private school or an online private/homeschool, they are over due leaving
It’s this simple…the elites don’t want the working class/working poor children to have opportunities that interferes with their elite children’s educational advantages and advancements.
Especially if the serfs in question aren’t white.
I have contact with two different families with college graduated parents. I’d guess under your view, ‘Elites’.
Both families are encouraging their children (High school ages) to consider ‘Working class/working poor’ careers. Fiscally they potentially will accrue equal or higher income with less educational dollars and be free from social indoctrination currently the fad of universities. In fact, their desire is the children grow finding their own interpretation of world events. Pretty sure with conditions such as those these parents are viewing they are not alone in this line of thinking. Cheers
The question I ask all of you .?. How long do we continue to tolerate this..?.
Doug
Not much longer I hope.
And the planned dumbing down of America continues!
Does the school board realize that these brighter kids are the only thing keeping the averages up in third party evaluations of ASD?
Imagine how dismal ASD’s review scores would be if they force brighter kids to learn to focus instead on being appreciative of the dumb f’s around them.
Also imagine what the future employment landscape might be for Alaskans. Would ASD have forced future employers to look outside for potential employees? None of us can afford to pay someone for their understanding of ethnicity, gender or other social constructs.
As an employer I can tell you without question that we don’t give a rip about diversity studies or any of the other nonsense and would happily hire a staff of bonafide klansman if they were smart, capable and inclined to insulate the company from their outside interests.
We need a better electorate as the current electorate is placing a thick layer of idiots in positions of influence.
People get the government they deserve. Low information voters give us low quality government.
This outrage is planned for the entire world. The elites don’t need all those intelligent people. AI is the new all purpose employee, followed by robots. They don’t require good working conditions, retirement benefits, or unions, and they can work 24/7. Check out the Davos website. Only 500 million are desired. Hope the billionaires chock on it. As for the Alaska State Act, it is only one of countless promises that the Feds have never kept.