Agreed. There are generally more students who qualify (in an absolute, hypothetical sense) than are admitted. And yes, there is an elitist quality to many GT programs--at the same time, having any kind of criteria (objective or otherwise) will unavoidably exclude some students/families who wish to participate. And criteria are important to appropriate placement, not only to admissions--just as every post-secondary institution in the USA uses placement testing/criteria for course selection with already-admitted students. The challenge is finding criteria that accurately represent the population of purpose, but do not discriminate on the basis of a protected class (minimally and legally), and are equitable (however one defines that ethically).
Open enrollment has much to be said for it, but it still does not addres those who are unaware of resources, do not perceive themselves as falling in the target population, lack the ancillary resources necessary to access the proffered services, etc. for whom proactive child-find is needed. And, of course, the reality is that resources are not infinite.
No easy answers...
