Opinion: Gifted programs are segregating schools further

When North Carolina public schools were fully desegregated in 1972, many believed access to education for black and minority students would increase — and for a while it did. 

North Carolina began making sure people demographics of schools were more diverse, and despite a slow start, the state became a leader in the desegregation movement. 

As much as this editorial board would like to say access has increased since then, it is sadly not the case. A report from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that between 1989 and 2010, North Carolina tripled the amount of intensely segregated schools (containing less than 10 percent white students) within the state. 

While a mass white flight to charter schools or private education has been a factor in segregating schools and the end of busing programs has been another, one disturbing trend is happening within schools themselves. The “gifted” programs in schools are slowly segregating schools from the inside as well.

Gifted classes, common in many elementary schools nationwide, are designed to provide students performing well in normal classrooms a chance to be challenged.  

Ideally, these programs are supposed to be purely to help students — which could be a necessary addition to some public education — but it seems the opportunity is not being extended equally to minority students. 

Often, potential students are selected by a referral process and then are required to take some form of a test. If they meet both requirements, they are allowed into the program. This subjective process is often riddled with rewards for affluent white students with parents that have the time to take extra steps to ensure their students are enrolled in these types of programs. 

This claim was proven in a research article by the National Bureau of Economic Research showing when less subjective tests are universally applied to all students, there is a 180 percent increase in the amount of disadvantaged students qualifying for gifted classes. 

This becomes a bigger issue as the student progresses in their education. Not being labeled as “gifted” in elementary school can make it harder to get into advanced placement classes later on in school — and as many students know, AP classes are almost a prerequisite to getting into UNC. 

Inherently, gifted classes are beneficial in helping challenge students to a higher degree. But if they are not being made available to all students, then they are missing out on a world of possibilities. Diversity of experiences and thought are key to creating better education systems for all kids, and this needs to be protected.

Thankfully, in the outline for gifted programs in North Carolina, the state does acknowledge the need to be cognizant of disadvantages for under-represented groups when placing kids into gifted programs. But some school districts, like Wake County, still require referrals in choosing students. 

This is just one part of a multifaceted problem which needs to be addressed. Any efforts to resegregate public schools must be met with full resistance. Giving all students an equal opportunity to succeed in the gifted program is not a difficult task — it just requires making sure all students are tested.