Improving Diversity

Diversity. What makes someone diverse? Is it inherently good; something to be desired? Is there a cost for achieving diversity?

Background

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Some criticize special education classrooms for having too many Latino and African American students. The same criticize gifted and talented programs for having too many White and Asian students. Accordingly, the district officials in New Haven decided to change their process of identifying gifted and talented students in order to improve diversity in their program. Their previous process, "resulted in a disproportionate percentage of white and Asian GATE [gifted and talented education] participants, while black and Latino students lagged." Their new process has two ways of identifying students: 1. academic achievement 2. referral by teacher of having other talents such as creativity and leadership. Officials then accept into GATE the highest performing 5% in each racial group.

Issue

Is this new process a fair way to determine GATE participants?

What I think

I have two big umbrages. (That's way more fun than saying, "I take umbrage with two things.")

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One: Superintendent Kari McVeigh stated, "We know through research that giftedness and talent is equally distributed across all ethnicities." Fortunately he didn't say where to find the research so we could check up on his sources. His assumption may very well be true on a worldwide, or even nationwide, level but at the school district level, there is undoubtedly more variation in the distribution of talent and ethnicity. Two: They claim their process has led to the "remarkable results" of proportionate participation of race and gender in their program. I am more inclined to believe that taking the top 5% of each group had more to do with it. The results are not as remarkable when you force them yourself.

I think this top 5% of each group business is unfair if GATE's priority is to challenge gifted and talented students (as determined by talent). It is unfair when students who have worse scores are accepted into the program instead of those who scored better. The intellectual test the students take is blind to race and gender. I do believe there is value in diversity of talent and experience; therefore, I wholeheartedly support the second way they identify students. Now, if their priority is to provide equal opportunities for all ethnicities, genders, and other subgroups, then just call it that. Don't pretend your pseudo-science gets you there.

**Imagine if the process for determining eligibility for special education included taking the bottom 5% of each ethnicity, gender, and subgroup and putting them into self-contained classrooms to make the numbers proportionate to the population. To the unhappy parent: "Sorry, we have a new policy which places your student in this classroom in order to provide him/her with enriching experiences."** Students should be placed in environments where they learn the best regardless of the color of their skin.

Diversity. There is more to a person than their race and gender. Diversity is good and can provide valuable experiences but, it should not be forced.