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> But there is a world of difference between being a great scientist and being a great K12 teacher. Very good point. K12 teachers know a lot, but they may not
by crackercrews 5y ago
> But there is a world of difference between being a great scientist and being a great K12 teacher.
Very good point. K12 teachers know a lot, but they may not know much about the path to becoming a world-renowned scientist. The signers of this letter know that path from their own experience and the experience of their colleagues. They may not be educators but they have intimate understanding of the education process of bright children.
- krastanov 5y agoOh, this is a good point that did elude me. As long as some form of gifted programs continue existing (which, given my flawed reading of this document, they will continue existing, just by virtue of demand), I do not see it being a problem. You will raise the bottom significantly while not really changing the top.
- threatofrain 5y agoGifted programs are largely not a thing in Californian math. When we're talking about children who opt to take Algebra in middle school, or children who opt to take Calculus in high school, we aren't talking about gifted programs. We're talking about alternative pathways in math. A central pillar of Equitable Math is that all children of any given grade ought to be in the same math class, and that there ought not be any standard specification for, say, taking Algebra "early" in middle school. The explicitly stated reasoning by the program authors is that this disparity sustains White Supremacy in math. A child who is ready for Algebra would be best served by opting into a classroom where a teacher has been polishing a year-long discourse on Algebra, as opposed to creating an ad-hoc gifted program. A return to gifted programs would be a return to administrative opacity.