Black And Latino Students Underrepresented In Houston’s Gifted And Talented Education Program.

NPR (9/30, Isensee) reports black and Latino students are underrepresented in Houston’s gifted and talented education program. The article shares the story of Fernando Aguilar and his son Isaac Aguilar. Fernando is convinced his son belongs in the gifted education program at Herrera Elementary School, but when Isaac was tested in kindergarten he was rejected from the program. Fernando and others believe that gifted and talented education programs are often racially biased, accepting white and Asian students more than black and Latino students. Vanderbilt University researcher Donna Ford said of gifted education, “I think it’s a clear case of segregation, gifted education being segregated by race and income.” Ford says the program could be improved by adopting tests that are not culturally biased and by relying less on subjective teacher evaluations.