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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]For those confused on the math or caught up in obfuscating the numbers, let's simplify.  There are 76,000 students enrolled in DCPS and DC charters.  The top 2% would be 1,500 students.  Now, consider that there are entire DCPS schools which enroll fewer kids than that.  Yet the argument is that there aren't enough kids to support it?  That argument is completely laughable.[/quote]

Well, the issue is how many of those kids would be AA?  If you placed by IQ or something similar it would probably be 95+% white which would be political suicide.[/quote]

Are you saying that Black people have low IQs?  Damn, all these closet bigots come out in full force behind a computer screen. [/quote]

That's not actually even open for debate; blacks score lower on IQ tests by about 1 standard deviation when compared to whites. I.e. the average IQ of blacks in the US is ~85 compared to ~100 for whites.  What's often debated is whether the tests are biased towards/against certain groups and whether these differences stem from cultural differences, historical racism or are driven mostly by genetics.[/quote]

Whoah.  Let's get this conversation aimed back toward reality.

High-IQ is probably a very tiny part genetics, and more a function of random deviation, no different than, say a child's height.  Siblings in the same family may have very different IQs.  The other aspect of it is if the raw intelligence capability that a child is born with is able to be developed and matured to a point where it can be advantageous where it comes to IQ scores or academics - and there, genetics and race probably have far less to do with it than culture and environment.  Witness, for example, the Asian "tiger mom" driving achievement and performance or the competetive, A-type WASPy "keeping up with the Joneses" phenomenon.   There are certainly many high-performing AAs out there as well - who likewise typically came from a very motivated and driven household.  That's the culture piece - for the environment piece, look to studies on environmental justice, where often you will find polluting industries situated on cheaper, less-desirable real-estate - which is often also where low-income residences are located, and there are many industrial pollutants that can impact development, cause birth defects, neurological problems, et cetera.

That's far closer to reality.  So please, let's get off this track of screaming racism or suggestions that people here are saying abhorrent things, like that blacks genetically have low IQ.[/quote]

Lots of literature out there on both sides; I'm not trying to argue WHY they have these differences.  I'm merely pointing out that any program which uses a test as a proxy for IQ will skew very very heavily white in DC. DC has the largest white/black achievement difference in the US based on NAEP tests.[/quote]

Black achievement is typical for many other cities but white achievement is higher than normal - probably because many white kids are from families that are transplants with parents who themselves are highly educated and high achieving.

But remember - the skew still doesn't universally mean that white or asian = high IQ or high-performing, either.  Regardless of race, culture or SES, it's still just a small percentage of any demographic that ends up testing as gifted.    It's still not as though anyone would be creating a special program just for whites or asians regardless of whatever perception one might have from the skew.

There are ways to close up the gaps in achievement - and those DO need to happen.  There are ways to address community issues, environmental justice and many other factors that affect achievement and cause problems - some are easier, some are more difficult fixes and will take time.  Meanwhile, implementing a G&T program is a cheap and relatively quick and easy thing to implement while other solutions are pursued - and will also serve as an opportunity added for black G&T students.  The fixes don't have to be done sequentially, they can and should be pursued concurrently.  So, why hold back on G&T?  It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.[/quote]

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