When I was in fourth grade, my parents were notified that I was eligible to participate in a program for gifted students called the Major Achievement Program (MAP). Being in the program meant that I had to switch schools and leave the school I had attended since pre-school. Fifth grade was the most intense year of my life. My teacher, Mrs. Hudson, challenged us all and made us all believe that we could be better. She instituted the GPA system and made us calculate them. She made us memorize the “I Have a Dream Speech” as well as other speeches and poems. We did 6th grade math and read books that 8th graders were reading. We went on field trips and wrote essays. My teacher even made us work on our English portfolios at the amusement park, because she didn’t think they were acceptable.

That year I realized the pond was bigger than I had thought. In my old school, I thrived on the attention I received from teachers for being smart. It scared me a little to be the smartest, but it seemed to be all I had–each night I returned home to my less-than-perfect family and longed to be back in school again. In my fifth grade class, I was still in the top, but I wasn’t always number one. I had to compete, but I liked it. Pretty much for the rest of my academic career, I have felt overshadowed. Still, that isn’t my point.

My point is, this program put me on the track for other opportunities (especially college). Some students, who don’t make it onto that track early on will never have the same opportunities as those who don’t. I continued with MAP throughout Middle School. This gained me entrance into the International Baccalaureate Program.

IB is a rigorous program that exists all over the world. The program emphasizes global perspectives as well as speaking and writing. IB students receive their final grades based on internal assessments and external ones–the external ones are sent to countries around the world. This program prepared me for the rest of my education. It became evident to me when I entered college that education I received in high school rivaled that of my peers who attended private schools or schools in the ‘burbs.

Did I mention I come from a low-income family and have lived in the City of Rochester my entire life? My classmates from IB (most of who were also in MAP) mostly went on to attend colleges and universities such as, MIT, UofChicago, UR, Drexel, Oberlin, Geneseo, Tulane, MCC, SUNY schools, and other small private schools.

But noticed something interesting in my school: those of us in IB really were segregated from the rest of the school Most of the students from middle-class families and white families who lived in the City had been tracked into this program. We joked that all the white students in the district ended up in IB or at School of the Arts.

A NY Times article from today discusses the lack of diversity in gifted programs in NY city schools. article is fascinating because it talks about the lack of diversity in programs for gifted students. Does flawed testing, lack of access to information and programs, overt racism, or socio-economics affect most the underrepresentation of minorities in gifted programs? The article talks about how middle-class whites who live in cities end up having their kids in the gifted programs, while other groups are underrepresented.  “They’re trying to push Hispanic kids and minority kids away from gifted programs,” said Judith Amaro, a parent leader in District 6. Is it overt racism, or testing bias? How exactly are they doing that? I want more information. I think that perhaps Amaro is trying to say that above and beyond, direct racism is to blame for the inequity. I don’t think I can believe that.  Maybe it’s just the testing altogether that is ineffective. Perhaps these two paragraphs sum up the problem

When New York City set a uniform threshold for admission to public school gifted programs last fall, it was a crucial step in a prolonged effort to equalize access to programs that critics complained were dominated by white middle-class children whose parents knew how to navigate the system.

The move was controversial, with experts warning that standardized tests given to young children were heavily influenced by their upbringing and preschool education, and therefore biased toward the affluent.

Let’s talk a little about access. (Keep in mind I know that NY city and Rochester are different cities). Many of my classmates in high school (myself included) had to take two buses to get to school everyday (a commute of like an hour). Many excelled– not just the ones that came from “wealthier” families (no one’s family was really that well off). Most of my classmates came from single-parent households or from households with parents that weren’t all that involved. Many us had parents who did not go to college. We had students in my high school from foreign countries. In Rochester, however, there is free pre-school. I believe pre-school makes a huge difference (it did for me) and perhaps that is the problem in NY city.

When class rank came out senior year, a discussion sparked about how many whites were nearing the top of the list. I was vehemently opposed to categorizing the ranking by solely by race. While several in the top 20 were white–several weren’t, and even some of the whites did not come from homes with supportive parents. Something about the experience I had in high school leads me to believe that we must look beyond race and class in our categorizations of achievement.

I think the real problem is that students who do not make it into the advanced track may never have the same opportunities. We need to cease having the mentality of teaching to the highest common denominator. Not all are “gifted,” but all have talents. All deserve the opportunity to attend college, even if they weren’t doing 9th grade science in 8th grade or didn’t take eight AP exams, or calculus their sophomore year. Let’s encourage all students by making programs available in all neighborhoods. Let’s make high school students aware of the requirements that universities have for attendance, so that if their parents didn’t attend college, they won’t be left out of the loop.  Let’s not just give tests to discover and measure giftedness, rather lets look at the character of every child and young adult to help them grow and be gifted leaders. Let’s make sure all kids have access to safe schools and rigorous academics even if their parents can’t navigate the senseless bureaucracy. Perhaps the kids I grew up with were all anomalies, but I think my educational experiences must be representative of something. I know some amazing, resilient people that made it through the RCSD and are doing well today. Somewhere along the line, even if their parents weren’t supporting them at home, they got the idea that doing well in school meant something…

*steps off soap-box

Leave your comments: How do we provide equal access to a quality education for all students, regardless of their family background? In the U.S. we pride ourselves in supposedly not being tied to system of class based on heredity of money.

How important is pre-school?

Did you participate in the Major Achievement Program or IB program? How about Honors/AP? If not, what was your experience like taking classes for Regents credit? Maybe you went to a school like Edison Tech and took specific, skill oriented classes. Tell us!!

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