A selective program for high-performing fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in Boston public schools recently suspended enrollment and called for a one-year hiatus amidst concerns about equity in the program and saying the classes served “disproportionate” racial groups. Only the Democrat Party could get away with saying there are too many White and Asian students participating in class
Brenda Cassellius, the Boston Public Schools Superintendent, told WGBH, a local public radio station, that the inequalities within the program “have been brought to the light” in the pandemic. “There’s a lot of work we have to do in the district to be anti-racist and have policies where all of our students have a fair shot at an equitable and excellent education,” she adds.
The Advanced Work classes is an accelerated learning program that encourages students to study their subjects in a deeper and non-traditional manner, including more schoolwork and more home study.
The program was open to those who took a standardized test known as “Terra Nova.” Those who obtained a high score were placed in a lottery for admission, and winners received letters inviting them to apply to the program. It was offered by five schools and of the 453 students invited to participate, 143 applied and 116 were enrolled.
According to a recent analysis of the program, school districts found that more than 70% of the students enrolled were “White and Asian” while nearly 80% of all Boston public school students are “Hispanic or Black.”
School Committee member Lorna Rivera said at a recent school committee meeting that she was “disturbed” by the findings and said it was “not acceptable,” pointing out that nearly 60% of fourth-graders in the program at the Ohrenberger school are White and most third graders enrolled at the school are Black and Hispanic.
While fifth- and sixth-graders already enrolled in the program will be allowed to stay, no new applicants will be admitted. Cassellius adds that future programming decisions will be made “at the principal level.” The district’s website says that admission information will be available during the winter of 2021 and decisions regarding the program will be made by May.
Advanced programs for gifted students have been targets for “incorrect” racial demographics for some time now. Instead of supporting students educational development, the Democrats just want to launch a race attack and hold all students back. Acceptance into the program was based on a standard placement exam. You can’t get fairer than that. Their agenda has always been to un-educate, censor, ban, and become dependent.
