Seattle Public Schools District Ends Gifted Student Program Due to ‘Historical Inequity’

Seattle Public Schools is shutting down its program for gifted and talented students as part of efforts to address “historical inequity.” It will replace the program with one that is “more inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive,” officials said. The district began phasing out the program, known as the “Highly Capable Cohort,” in the 2021-22 school year after a 2018 survey found that just 3.7 percent of students participating were Hispanic and 1.6 percent were black, the Daily Wire reports. Meanwhile, 11.8 percent of students taking part in the program were Asian, and the majority—nearly 70 percent—were white, according to the publication. This led to concerns among school officials, including Kari Hanson, the district’s director of student support services, that the program was rife with racial inequities....