DIVERSITY OR EXCELLENCE? (Diversity wins again)

[Danno 1,228]

Brooklyn school cutting gifted program to boost diversity Ditmas Park's P.S. 139 Principal Mary McDonald told parents the elementary school would no longer accept kindergartners applications for the SOAR program. Future classes will be 'heterogeneously grouped.'

Public School 139 in Ditmas Park will do away with a program for gifted students in hopes of boosting diversity.

A popular gifted program will get the axe after Ditmas Park school officials chose diversity over exclusivity.

Citing a lack of diversity, PS 139 Principal Mary McDonald informed parents in a letter that the Students of Academic Rigor and two other in-house programs would no longer accept applications for incoming kindergartners.

“Our Kindergarten classes will be heterogeneously grouped to reflect the diversity of our student body and the community we live in,” McDonald told parents in a letter posted on the photo-sharing site flickr and obtained by Ditmas Park Corner.

More than two thirds of the school’s roughly 1,000 students are black or hispanic while Asian-American and white students made up 28%, according to Education Dept. records.

At least one parent described the small gifted program, Students of Academic Rigor — or SOAR — as overwhelming caucasion, although others disputed that characterization.

McDonald didn’t respond to numerous requests for comment. A city Education Dept. spokeswoman said cutting the programs was the decision of the school.

One mother, a Sudanese immigrant, said the program was brimming with white students — but she was looking forward to her daughter joining after years of high test scores.

“Where are they going to put the higher-level students?” asked the woman, who declined to give her name. “Sometimes, there are different levels, and teachers can’t handle all the levels in one class.”

Parent Lisa Draho has one daughter in the New Visions Flatbush Academy — one of the two smaller learning communities that will be phased out — and another who just moved on to middle school. Parents have questions about the decision, Draho said, but she has faith in McDonald.

“Mary is very much a principal who really wants the best for the kids,” said Draho, who nonetheless disagreed that the programs lacked diversity.

“I feel like the classes are already inclusive,” she said.

Other parents and relatives picking up students on Wednesday said the school should keep the program as is.

“It’s been running like this for so long,” said 16-year-old Maruful Hossain, who attended the school as a child and now picks up his little brother there. “It will always be diverse — no matter what.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn-school-cutting-gifted-program-boost-diversity-article-1.1595864#ixzz2sIscFgp

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[Janelle2002 3,865]

Is this a public school? And if so, why should only one school, ( in a privileged area I presume), have the only access to this kind of program. All of the schools should. Now we want to blame it on diversity? How about blaming this on all kids deserve an equal opportunity to education.

[Danno 1,228]

Is this a public school? And if so, why should only one school, ( in a privileged area I presume), have the only access to this kind of program. All of the schools should. Now we want to blame it on diversity? How about blaming this on all kids deserve an equal opportunity to education.

I'm not sure it is in a privileged area as two thirds of the students are Black and Hispanic.

Apparently this school system will insure an equality of modest outcome... NOT opportunity.

[Pooky 3,840]

Is this a public school? And if so, why should only one school, ( in a privileged area I presume), have the only access to this kind of program. All of the schools should. Now we want to blame it on diversity? How about blaming this on all kids deserve an equal opportunity to education.

Yes, all schools should.

Diversity should include the opportunity to excel and, for those with the talent and ability, the encouragement to do so.

[Danno 1,228]

Yes, all schools should.

Diversity should include the opportunity to excel and, for those with the talent and ability, the encouragement to do so.

Ahh but what happens is if those with the talent, ability (and I would add the desire) to excel do not resemble an ad for Gap Jeans?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Ahh but what happens is if those with the talent, ability (and I would add the desire) to excel do not resemble an ad for Gap Jeans?

I think you are confusing Gap with Benneton? I remember seeing mostly white people in Gap ads.