New York City’s Bill de Blasio announced recently that the NYC Public School system will phase out the Gifted and Talented Program. Beginning next fall, no new kindergarteners will be enrolled into gifted elementary school classes, which accounts for about 16,000 students. Of those students, about 75 percent are white or Asian American (who make up about 25 percent of…
Tag: white privilege

White Progressives Have a Lot of Work to Do, and I’m Not Here to Help
When I ran for school board it was Betsy Hodges, the former Minneapolis mayor, who was the first elected official to endorse me. She asked me a lot of questions, offered some straight talk about the political system and spoke very clearly about what it takes to win in a Whiter than White town like Minneapolis. Later, after winning a…

The New Conversation about Controlled Enrollment Shows How White Privilege Works in CPS
For 20 years, controlled enrollment meant hardship for Southwest Side families. Why is the district suddenly coming up with a kinder, gentler model for affluent North Siders? Thanks, white privilege.