What facts about human intelligence do you find are most neglected by people who ought to know them?
For months,
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has been airing a TV commercial which asserts:
The world in which we live equally distributes talent...
This assertion is incorrect.
Claiming that talent is equally distributed
invalidates "gifted" persons; it denies the existence of individuals with an abundance (overabundance?) of native talent. Setting educational policy and taking actions based on the false premise of equal distribution of talent is damaging to "gifted" persons whose academic needs are different from the majority.
Given that "gifted" persons are more at risk for dropping out, and given that SNHU may be considered a second chance at an education for non-traditional students, it appears:
1- ...likely that SNHU's belief about equal distribution of talent may further under-serve marginalized "gifted" persons in their school(s),
2- ...unfortunate that SNHU's assertion of
their belief about equal distribution of talent
as fact may have negative impacts to other "gifted" persons, to the extent that the general population buys into SNHU's statement heard repeatedly on TV,
3- ...reasonable that taking a different approach (an acknowledgement and
affirmation of varying degrees of "talent") may help a larger number of marginalized "gifted" persons resume and complete their studies.
