November 11, 2024—Los Angeles Times Equity Reporter Rebecca Plevin speaks with Managing Attorney John Affeldt regarding equity in admissions criteria for “gifted and talented” programs within the Los Angeles Unified School District. LAUSD, which had previously announced that they would relax the admissions requirements for some of its most rigorous academic programs, reversed their decision amid concerns from parents regarding the lack of community input regarding the process, as well as controversy regarding the rollout of this decision.
Amid the wider conversation around admissions criteria, John Affeldt, a managing attorney at the nonprofit law firm Public Advocates who is focused on education equity, said school officials should be working hard to raise the level of education quality across districts, especially for students of color and low-income students.
He advocates for exposing all students to more challenging curriculum while providing additional support as needed, saying: “I think the student performance will surprise traditional expectations.”
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(This story was reprinted on Yahoo! News)
