Originally Posted by Bostonian
To avoid rigid tracks, students should be able to petition to take an honors class that they are not recommended for by their teacher. Our school district does this. Getting rid of honors classes entirely is a bad idea.

To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes. Supporters say uniform classes create rigor for all students but critics say cuts hurt faster learners
By Sara Randazzo
Wall Street Journal
Feb. 17, 2023
archived

CULVER CITY, Calif.—A group of parents stepped to the lectern Tuesday night at a school board meeting in this middle-class, Los Angeles-area city to push back against a racial-equity initiative. The high school, they argued, should reinstate honors English classes that were eliminated because they didn’t enroll enough Black and Latino students.

“We really feel equity means offering opportunities to students of diverse backgrounds, not taking away opportunities for advanced education and study,” Joanna Schaenman, a Culver City parent who helped spearhead the effort, said in the run-up to the meeting.
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I agree with you @Bostonian. By the same token, would anyone think it appropriate to close down athletics programs if there aren’t enough Caucasians & Asians enrolled? Would we perhaps then see a wider ethnic representation at Olympic track sprint finals?