Boston Halts Advanced Learning Program Because Too Many Asian, White Students

Boston Public Schools are halting a selective program for high-performing kids in grades four through six because of a lack of racial equality in the makeup of the student population, local media have reported.

According to the school district's website, the AWC is a full-time program that provides an "Accelerated academic curriculum for highly motivated and academically capable students." Students who wish to participate need to take the popular Terra Nova 3 standardized test, and those who meet the score requirement will be put into a lottery conducted by the central administration office, and lottery winners receive letters inviting them to apply to the program.

Last fall, 453 students received invitations, 143 students applied and 116 enrolled for this year, officials said, reported WGBH. The decision to pause the AWC is based on a district analysis of the program, which found that more than 70 percent of the students enrolled were Asian or white.

By contrast, a Massachusetts state analysis of the BPS suggests that out of the district's 48,000 students in school year 2020-21, 42 percent are Hispanic, 29 percent are black, 15 percent are white, and only 9 percent are Asian.

New fourth-grade students will be admitted by standards to be determined by individual schools.

The G&T program, which offers specialized instruction and enrichment opportunities for young learners deemed exceptional, admits students based on a single, high-stakes entrance exam.

The advisory panel highlighted the fact that black and Hispanic students make up only 27 percent of students in those gifted classes, even though they account for about 70 percent of students citywide.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/boston-halts-advanced-learning-program-because-too-many-asian-white-students_3713990.html