@mekkaokereke I don't understand what part of "lets get rid of advanced programs because not all students are advanced and there is inequity in that advancement.

If they had special school, maybe after school or in the summer specifically for students in key areas to GET advanced they might just have a little better luck. Algebra is a good start. They might even throw some study skills in there since it is shown that those skills are the biggest problem for kids from disadvantaged homes.

@longobord

The "there's inequity in *advanced* classes" argument does have merit.

Black kids are often misidentified as "not gifted" and white kids are often misidentified as "gifted." And then gifted kids get better resources, more attention, better classes, smaller class sizes, that makes the gifted label a self fulfilling prophecy.

The solve for that may not be "No gifted programs for anyone!" It may again be "Reduce the racism."

Similar arguments are for sexism / non neurotypicals.

@longobord

On gender and tracking:
A not-rich little white 1st grade girl that has undiagnosed bad eyesight, is more likely than a rich white boy, to be mislabelled as "not good at math" and put on the slower education track.

She finally gets her diagnosis and her glasses in the 5th grade, but by then it's too late. She fights to make up ground to get into her dream college, then says things like, "I majored in Chemistry at Cornell, which was hard because I have never been good at math!" 😢

@mekkaokereke In undergrad I tutored math and was wildly popular among women. I learned to ask in the 1st or 2nd session "OK, who was it who made you believe you were bad at math?"

Every. Single. Student could, and did name names.