My issue with gifted programs, and this is the reality in many cities: wealthy kids with tutors and intelligent parents are the ones benefiting. This essential

My issue with gifted programs, and this is the reality in many cities: wealthy kids with tutors and intelligent parents are the ones benefiting. This essentially creates a two-tiered schooling system, and since it's very tightly tied to income, this further exaggerates economic disparity, which is closely tied to race. My city's school system is comprised mostly of minorities (~80% black, hispanic, and asian) and the gifted programs are predominantly serving wealthy white kids (~50%). We also have exam schools. The most popular exam school in my area receives tens of millions of dollars in private donations. If you combined the private fundraising of the bottom 90% of schools in the district, it's still less than this one school. This school is also 50% white in a school system where only 15% of the kids are white. So we've essentially created a private school in a public system. I understand why people don't want to eliminate gifted programs, but they are further exaggerating economic (and racial) disparities. I have not seen any good solutions for this, but it does feel incredibly unfair. Having been someone who was poor and happened to be in a gifted program, I personally don't think the benefit is worth the divide.