Gifted Programs: Racist or necessary

[Bobby_2021]

"On Oct. 8, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would phase out its gifted and talented programs as a critical step to address racial segregation in the nation’s largest school system."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/learning/should-we-eliminate-gifted-and-talented-programs.html

A few pros and cons of gifted programs briefly put.

PROS

1) Some kids are genetically gifted to understand concepts faster. So they would have a hard time making friends with their lesser gifted friends, who are the majority. This might also result in them getting bullied more often since their are in the category of less socially aware awkward nerds.

2) One size fits all solutions don't work. Imagine putting someone who can do advanced calculus in their heads in a class teaching algebra for 8H/day. It will be boring & depressive as fuck. It's akin to putting a spiritually gifted person like @Leo Gura in a Christian sunday school with the masses. 

3)  The average person is much less capable than you think. They can't even computer averages or percentages in their head. Now realize that half of them are below average. 

4) The most important points is that most of the jobs in the market requires a high IQ bar to get into. People with better genetics tend to be workaholics and objectively deliver more value for the economy. So I think it will be a great thing if we allow such kids to spend less time studying in classrooms and let them work if they need to.

Even more, Is it really justice leaving a gifted person who is also in a highly vulnerable stage of their life (teenage) dealing with a ton of insecurities and issues to among with the majority who they are not able to relate to. 

Why are their unique potential denied and not given a chance to actualized?

CONS

1) This might result in inequality and promote racial segregation within the academic environment.  I am not sure how exactly this works, read the attached article for more info. 

2) Self esteem issues for gifted children when they occasionally score less marks than their peers. 

3) Classifying children as gifted or otherwise is immoral, because all children are supposed to be treated equally.

 

Thoughts? Please be clear, articulate and think well through all the consequences before replying, thanks.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Bobby_2021

[Preety_India]

Necessary. 

[puporing]

This is what happens when you treat people like commodities and one-dimensionally.

[Bobby_2021]

I am highly in favour of gifted programs, since college and school only dragged me down anyway.