Hmmm. Reading with interest and curiosity.
It seems to be different here. I'd have to research stats, but the racial percentages in special programs look like they reflect the percentages in the general population (I could be totally wrong - I'm just noting what I see from my little corner).
Ironically the two kids from DD's class who made the gifted math pull out are Caucasian (my DD) and African (her gifted classmate).
There isn't GT testing for everyone (I had to push to get DD tested). Not sure if her classmate was tested either or simply nominated because of above-grade level performance (she's very high achieving - she's mature and focused, unlike my DD).
As for the numbers of kids who make it in to the different programs, I couldn't tell you... although a South Asian mom friend of mine whose daughter made it into the language GT pull-out said that they had to split the kids into two half-year groups because there were so many who made it in... too many for all the kids to be in for the entire year. Worth noting is that funding and space is limited - for example my daughter's math program takes only 3 or 4 kids per school. That could mean there were only 8-10 language kids who made it. Who knows.
Again, my experience is limited. We're in a language immersion / Montessori school, so the LI kids who aren't white likely aren't ESL either, or they're talented with language, which sometimes enables self-advocacy and improves test scores. Mind you, there is a girl on our street (South Asian) who is not in language immersion, and she's in both the math and science gifted programs.
It would be interesting, actually, to compare my observations with local stats. Must look into that...
Last edited by CCN; 01/14/13 10:58 AM.
