Gifted Programs Shut Out Minorities
False Assumption: Gifted programs shut out high-performing Black and Latino children from low-income families due to systemic flaws that districts can fix.
Written by FARAgent on February 10, 2026
America's school districts faced debates over gifted programs. New York City tested 4-year-olds for entry. Seattle saw dismal Black and Latino enrollment rates. Fairfax County questioned labeling children gifted. The New York Times framed these as problems of exclusion.
Educators and media assumed low minority participation came from bias or access issues. They ignored IQ tests and generational data on cognitive differences. Steven Pinker called racial IQ gaps an intellectually minor topic whose ignorance benefits society.
Critics note this ignorance breeds incompetence in education policy. Vast published data on tests raises questions about equalizing enrollment without addressing group differences. Mounting evidence from analysts suggests innate factors explain gaps.
People Involved
- Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and author, described racial differences in average IQ as an intellectually minor topic. He suggested that ignorance of such differences could be beneficial. [1]
- Troy Closson, a reporter for the New York Times, highlighted how gifted programs seemed to exclude high-performing Black and Latino children. He framed these disparities as problems that advanced education reforms could address. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Steven Pinker asserts in his new new book When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows that the fact that practically nobody knows about racial differences in average IQ is good because it is an “intellectually minor topic.””— The Race War Over Giftedness
“Why America’s Debate Over Which Children Are ‘Gifted’ Won’t Go Away Gifted programs could be shutting out millions of high-performing Black and Latino children from low-income families. Can districts fix their advanced education problem? By Troy Closson Oct. 27, 2025”— The Race War Over Giftedness
Organizations Involved
The New York Times ran articles that depicted disparities in gifted programs as barriers keeping out Black and Latino students. The paper urged districts to fix these issues through its coverage. [1] In New York City, public schools tested 4-year-olds for gifted placement, which led to family arguments over access. The system relied on early sorting that assumed fairness across all groups. [1] Seattle schools saw low enrollment of Black and Latino students in gifted programs for decades. Teachers debated the issue while the district held to policies assuming equal potential. [1] In Fairfax County, Virginia, school leaders debated the use of the gifted label amid enrollment worries. They adjusted policies to question the label in efforts to reduce disparities. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“from the New York Times news section: Why America’s Debate Over Which Children Are ‘Gifted’ Won’t Go Away”— The Race War Over Giftedness
“In New York City, families sparred over whether a few thousand 4-year-olds should be funneled into gifted education programs.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
“In Seattle, teachers disagreed on how to improve the dismal enrollment rates of Black and Latino students in schools for gifted pupils, a problem decades in the making.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
“And in Fairfax County, Va., school leaders wrestled with a thorny question: Should we still label children “gifted”?”— The Race War Over Giftedness
The Foundation
The assumption took root in debates over gifted identification, where disparities were blamed on systemic flaws rather than cognitive test results. It gained traction through narratives of equity. Critics argue it overlooked generations of published IQ evidence showing group differences. [1] Growing questions surround whether these equity narratives fully accounted for the data. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“It’s almost as if we have tests for these questions, and vast amounts of data have been published over the generations.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
How It Spread
Outlets like the New York Times helped spread the idea by presenting gifted program debates as cases of minorities being shut out. They suggested districts could resolve the issues with fixes. [1] This framing appeared in news stories that influenced public and policy discussions. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Why America’s Debate Over Which Children Are ‘Gifted’ Won’t Go Away Gifted programs could be shutting out millions of high-performing Black and Latino children from low-income families.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
Resulting Policies
New York City introduced testing for gifted programs at age 4 in its public schools. The policy rested on the belief that potential could be measured equally across groups. [1] Families competed fiercely for spots, turning the process into a point of contention. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“New York City tends to have the most crazily early dividing age, both for private and public schools... In New York City, families sparred over whether a few thousand 4-year-olds should be funneled into gifted education programs.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
Harm Caused
Critics argue that ignoring racial differences in IQ led to persistent flaws in education policy. Debates over gifted programs suffered from this oversight. [1] The result was ongoing incompetence in addressing disparities effectively. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Steven Pinker says that racial differences in IQ are an "intellectually minor topic," but ignorance of the subject causes no end of incompetence in education.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
Downfall
Mounting evidence from IQ test data across generations began to challenge the assumption. It highlighted predictable group differences in gifted identification. [1] Critics point to this data as exposing the limits of equity-based fixes, though the debate remains active. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“It’s almost as if we have tests for these questions, and vast amounts of data have been published over the generations.”— The Race War Over Giftedness
Sources
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[1]
The Race War Over Giftednessopinion