This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more information.
I recently came across an article about school segregation that twisted my undies a bit. The article was written by Whitney Pirtle, a professor at the University of California Merced, and she believes that schools that identify students who are strong academically in order to provide those students with a more challenging curriculum are practicing “segregation.” Yep, according to Mrs. Pirtle, Jim Crow is alive and well in 2019. And the reason why Mrs. Pirtle came to this conclusion is simple: Blacks are underrepresented in gifted and talented education (GATE).
What I’d like to do now is go through the article and point out the claims that twisted my undies. Mrs. Pirtle’s claims are in quotation marks and highlighted in red. My responses directly follow her claims and are in normal text. Here we go.
“Black students make up nearly 17 percent of the total student population nationwide. Yet less than 10 percent of students in GATE are black….The implication is clear: Black students are regularly excluded from schools’ conceptions of what it means to be gifted, talented, or advanced.”
Call me nuts, but isn’t the point of GATE to push our most talented students and make sure the United States remains economically competitive and technologically advanced? Why should she or anyone else for that matter be concerned with the racial and ethnic makeup of our most talented students?
To show how unseemly Mrs. Pirtle’s position is, let’s apply her logic to another area of American life that falls way short of perfect racial representation:
Whites make up roughly 76 percent of the US population. Yet less than 30 percent of the players in the NFL are white….The implication is clear: White footballers are regularly excluded from the NFL’s conception of what it means to be gifted, talented, or advanced.
What would you think of me if I advanced the above claim? You might give my concerns some credence if I pointed to hundreds of All-American D1 white footballers with 4.3 speed being mysteriously ignored by the NFL draft. But I don’t offer any evidence that white footballers are being systematically discriminated against. I’m just citing the demographics of the league and implying that the underrepresentation of white footballers is the result of nefarious owners and coaches. And because I don’t offer any evidence of anti-white discrimination, you might come to the conclusion that I’m nothing but a racial chauvinist—someone who wants more whites in the NFL just because I’m white.
Is Mrs. Pirtle a racial chauvinist? It sure looks that way. She provides no concrete evidence that large numbers of black students are crushing GATE admission exams and being systematically denied admission to GATE. All she is doing is citing the demographics of GATE and implying that the underrepresentation of black students is the result of nefarious school administrators and teachers.
Mrs. Pirtle can’t point to anti-black discrimination because it doesn’t exist. Black students simply don’t do as well as other races on GATE admission exams, particularly Asian students. To be fair to Mrs. Pirtle, however, she does offer a number of reasons why black students aren’t crushing GATE admission exams. Here are her four main culprits.
“A history of racist policies, such as housing segregation and unequal funding, means that schools with a high proportion of black students often have resource constraints for specialized programs.”
The links that presumably back the claim that black students suffer widespread “resource constraints” don’t provide any concrete evidence. The first link points to an interview of Eve Ewing, the author of a book about recent public school closings in Chicago. The second link points to the Amazon page of a book titled Inequality in the Promised Land.
Since Mrs. Pirtle hasn’t provided any concrete evidence about the “resource constraints” that black students face, I decided to do a little digging myself. In the table below, I compare the high-proportion white school district I attended on Long Island (Plainview) to two high-proportion black school districts on Long Island (Roosevelt and Hempstead). I also included another high-proportion white school district on Long Island (Massapequa) to show that black students aren’t the only students who face “resource constraints.”
| Plainview School District | Roosevelt School District | Hempstead School District | Massapequa School District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Asian | 92.6% | 0% | 2.7% | 94.3% |
| Black/Hispanic/Other | 7.4% | 100% | 97.3% | 5.7% |
| Students Proficient in Reading | 73% | 24% | 20% | 69% |
| Students Proficient in Math | 84% | 27% | 23% | 80% |
| Graduation Rate | 96% | 76% | 48% | 98% |
| Average SAT | 1290 | 980 | 1000 | 1190 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 11:1 | 14:1 | 22:1 | 12:1 |
| Average Teacher Salary | $110,036 | $94,387 | $163,765 | $116,284 |
| Per Pupil Spending | $27,921 | $26,050 | $26,195 | $24,793 |
| Per Pupil Spending as a Percentage of Baseline (Plainview Per Pupil Spending) | -- | 93% | 94% | 89% |
| Average Teacher Pay as a Percentage of Total Classroom Resources (Student-Teacher Ratio Times Per Pupil Spending) | 36% | 26% | 28% | 39% |
I could see resources being an issue if high-proportion black school districts only had half the per-pupil spending of high-proportion white school districts and teachers in high-proportion black school districts were paid considerably less than teachers in high-proportion white school districts. But that’s not the case here. The per- pupil spending in Roosevelt and Hempstead is more than 90 percent of the per-pupil spending in Plainview (93 percent and 94 percent, respectively). Is having a “resource constraint” of 6 or 7 percent enough to crater student outcomes? Perhaps. But Massapequa faces an 11 percent “resource constraint” and its students perform comparably to Plainview’s students.
“Resource constraints” may indeed be an issue for black students across the country. Just because I didn’t find it to be an issue on Long Island doesn’t mean it isn’t an issue elsewhere. But then again, I’m just a schmuck blogger. I’m not a college professor. If “resource constraints” are indeed an issue, Mrs. Pirtle should have no problem providing her readers with at least one concrete example of it. The fact that she doesn’t leads me to believe that “resource constraints” is a fake issue.
“Teachers’ biases against black students limit their chances for selective advanced opportunities.”
The study referenced in the link looks at teacher perceptions of a bunch of kindergarteners in 1999. The teachers thought black kindergarteners, in general, were weak in literacy and math relative to their non-black peers. The researchers then examined how these kindergarteners did in the first grade and concluded that their teachers were “biased” because black first-graders’ academic performance was somewhat better than expectations (i.e., they did a little better than their teaching ratings would suggest).
But did these teachers really exhibit bias? One of the measures of academic performance is how students progressed over the course of the first grade. Isn’t it possible that black first-graders made more gains in literacy and math than their non-black peers but still remained weak in literacy and math relative to their non-black peers? Consider the following table.
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage of Students Below Average in Math at the Beginning of the School Year | Percentage of Students Below Average in Math at the End of the School Year | Change in Percentage of Students Below Average in Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 50 | 40 | -20% |
| Hispanic | 25 | 22 | -12% |
| White | 15 | 14 | -7% |
| Asian | 10 | 10 | 0 |
Since the researchers don’t provide first-grade test results, I have no idea if the above table approximates what actually occurred. But it’s entirely possible. And if the above table approximates what actually occurred, the researchers’ definition of teacher “bias” is a bit screwed up.
Quick aside. I read this study a few times and it is the epitome of academic gobbledygook. But maybe I’m the problem. Maybe I’m just too dense. If you’ve read this study and believe it shows clear-cut evidence of teacher bias against black first-graders, please explain it to me. And if you can explain to me how this alleged teacher bias is partially responsible for the struggles black students exhibit on GATE admission exams seven or eight years later, we really need to talk.
“Admissions into gifted programs and specialized schools are based on a singular standardized test that often ignores qualifications aligned with a student’s training and does not capture black students’ potential.”
Again, I turn to the NFL. Whites are underrepresented in the NFL. Imagine if I averred that the reason for this is that the NFL draft—because strength and athletic ability is evenly distributed amongst the various races—is primarily based on a singular speed test (i.e., the 40-yard dash) that often ignores qualifications aligned with a footballer’s training and does not capture white footballers’ potential. Would you take me seriously?
My claim would have more merit if I had evidence that the 40-yard dash is a poor measure of speed. Likewise, Mrs. Pirtle’s claim would have more merit if she had evidence that the typical GATE admission test is a poor measure of academic ability. But Mrs. Pirtle provides no such evidence. All she does is provide a link to an article that decries the results of New York City’s GATE admission test.
“Minority students, particularly black students, are also often over-policed, which can affect their educational opportunities.”
Am I being “over-policed” because I practically have to strip naked and walk through a metal detector at the airport? “Over-policed” is a very loaded term. The implication is that our authorities, both in and out of school, are picking on black students for no reason other than racial animus.
But is this really the case?
Last month I had a post that linked to a YouTube video of several fast-food joints in Detroit. Each of these fast-food joints had a feature that I’ve never seen in a fast-food joint before—namely, bullet-proof glass.
Now a question. Are the owners of these fast-food joints “over-policing” their employees and customers because their employees and customers are overwhelmingly black? Of course not. The owners of these fast-food joints incurred the expense of bullet-proof glass because 1) armed robberies are a serious threat and because 2) bullet-proof glass is the only way to ensure the safety of their employees and their profits. In other words, it’s not black skin that’s driving “over-policing,” it’s black behavior. If blacks in Detroit committed armed robberies at the rate of, say, Asians in San Francisco, there wouldn’t be bullet-proof glass in any of these fast-food joints.
And the same motivation applies to those running high-proportion black schools. These particular administrators aren’t incurring the cost of security guards and metal detectors because they want to play mind games with their black students. They’re incurring the cost of security guards and metal detectors because they want to keep the violence that young black people have a disproportionate inclination towards for out of the school (see Table 21B).
“Over-policing” is another fake issue. Keeping guns, knives, and fisticuffs out of the classroom can’t possibly make the task of preparing for GATE admission tests harder for black students.
The Personal Finance Angle
A lot of my posts lately really haven’t had a personal finance angle (see here, here, and here). I seem to be more interested in challenging conventional wisdom than regurgitating the same personal finance pap that has been relentlessly regurgitated many times over by far more capable bloggers. And this one seemingly falls into the “challenge conventional wisdom” category as well. But alas it doesn’t. Take a gander at some more Pirtle wisdom.
“But even moderately privileged parents have knowledge that benefits their children—they can teach their kids how to negotiate educational opportunities for themselves—asking for an extension on an assignment or talking their way out of punishment for misbehaving, for example….More important, privileged parents contribute to these racial disparities in advanced education, intentionally or not, when they hoard educational opportunities for their already privileged children.”
First, Mrs. Pirtle has a very strange definition of “hoarding.” Are black people “hoarding” professional football opportunities? Hell no. Black people ain’t “hoarding” shit. They’re just out-competing other races. Likewise, the children of “privileged” parents ain’t “hoarding” shit either. They’re just out-competing the children of parents who Mrs. Pirtle and other Progressives have deemed “underprivileged.”
Second, let’s cut to the chase. What does Mrs. Pirtle want for her sons and other black students? Let’s for argument’s sake say she wants them to be strong in SAT-level algebra by the time they leave the 11th grade. What does that require?
It requires competent math teachers and effort. That’s it. It doesn’t require GATE, AP classes, iPads, and fancy software produced by some politically connected education consultant. Way back in the stone age, when I was muddling through lower education, we didn’t have GATE, AP classes, iPads, and fancy software. Heck, we didn’t even have calculators. And, yet, despite this lack of “privilege,” my bright classmates who took education seriously managed to learn algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.
If Mrs. Pirtle would just open her eyes, she would see that there is no shortage of competent math teachers for her sons and every other black student in the country. Average per-pupil spending in the United States is $11,762. The average classroom size is 20.8. This means the typical classroom generates $244,649.60 in tax revenue. Now I’m the first one to argue that our public school administrators are poor stewards of our tax dollars. But there isn’t a gaggle of public school administrators out there who are so incompetent or corrupt that they can’t manage to hire a competent math teacher with the $244K they get for every 20 kids in their school. Bottom line: Every public school in the country hires math teachers, and an overwhelming majority of these math teachers are competent and caring.
But wait. There’s more. Who said a competent math teacher can only be an adult that the state hires to stand in front of a classroom? Here are some other competent math teachers that are readily available to Mrs. Pirtle’s sons and every other black student in the country.
- Peers. I learned a lot of math from my peers, especially in college. In fact, if it weren’t for this wonderful girl in my dorm who graciously helped me with my calculus homework, I never would have passed Calculus I in college. And all you have to do to access these amazing math teachers is ask for help. “Hey, how the hell do you factor polynomials? Explain it to me.”
- Books. I googled “best books for high school algebra,” and the second result that Google spit out pointed to 20 algebra books. Sixteen of these books cost less than $14. But if you want to be super cheap when it comes to accessing competent math teachers, there’s always the public library. I’m sure every public library in the country has a bevy of algebra books.
- Blogs. I googled “best blogs for high school algebra,” and here are ten from the first hit in the Google results.
- YouTube. Again, I searched “high school algebra” and here are five channels that came up on the first page of the results.
Access to competent math teachers is neither a problem for Mrs. Pirtle’s sons nor any black student in America. And since no one that I’m aware of is physically restraining black students from studying math, the effort component of mastering SAT-level algebra shouldn’t be an issue either. But it is. And here’s why.
Mrs. Pirtle, I’m afraid to say, is suffering from “privilege envy syndrome.” She’s so rattled by the fact that others have more, she’s blind to the fact that she has enough. And because she’s blind to her abundance, she’s poisoning the ability of her sons and other black students to take advantage of their good fortune.
The Scourge of Privilege Envy Syndrome
The point of this post isn’t to pick on Mrs. Pirtle. Nor is this post a riff on the state of education in general or black education in particular. This post is about a mindset that is turning countless Americans into excuse-making losers who have been rendered totally impotent by envy. Yes, just like Mrs. Pirtle, millions of Americans suffer from privilege envy syndrome. And nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of personal finance. “I can’t possibly save $100 a month. I wasn’t born on third base. My parents couldn’t buy my way into Harvard.”
In future posts, I will be exploring the scourge of privilege envy syndrome as it relates to personal finance. For now, though, never forget the one intelligent scribbling I managed to compose in this wretched blog:
Just because others have more doesn’t mean you don’t have enough!!!
And never forget that even though you’re not a One Percenter, you have all the opportunity, resources, and tools you need to make a great financial life for yourself.
Stop worrying about what others have.
Stop making excuses.
Work hard.
Open your eyes and start taking advantage of the opportunity that is bristling all around you.
Learn to be happy with less.
Save.
It really isn’t that hard once you’ve freed yourself from the scourage of privilege envy syndrome.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? Is privilege envy syndrome a thing that is hampering the financial advancement of millions of Americans? Or is privilege envy syndrome the figment of my Alt-FI imagination? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.
My father grew up poor in the tenements in Brooklyn, upgrading to the projects when they were built. My mother pretty much the same, except she spent most of her childhood in an Catholic orphanage there. Mom was a pretty girl, and the nuns told her to paint, and not to worry about books. Mom is a great painter, and even gets paid occasionally for it, but has done cleaning and clerical work for her working life. Dad is blue collar, and joined the military after high school, using the GI bill to get a basic degree after that gave him a higher starting salary at his blue collar job.
My parents did well for us, and read to us every night. They were on us about doing our homework, and expected us to go to college. I had to join the military myself to pay my way, and my sister went to an inexpensive small college. The thing is, though, in spite of the well intentioned harm the nuns did to my mom, they were otherwise kind and caring women she says, mom still learned the value of an education. I should add that i was in those gifted and talented programs from the third grade on, and I credit my parents, mom especially, for encouraging me to be smart. Money was tight growing up, but we always had lots of books, or mom made time to take me to the library. I love to read to this day, and my young son is the same. Dad had a long commute, and led by example. He always had a book with him for his ride. Mom did not, nor does she now in retirement, read much. Still, she knew to instill those habits in her children.
Poverty is the problem, and the problems that poverty create. That was true in Brooklyn for my parents who’s graduation rates were not stellar either, and those areas were white in those days. The commonality is that they were poor. Nor is spending money on the schools the solution, as your data shows. I do not think it’s a simple problem, but I think the various problems of poverty remain the biggest contributor now as it was 70 years ago when my parents were children.
GenX FIRE recently posted…How did I Pick My Retirement Number
I like what Andre Agassi has done with his academy in Las Vegas. Goes to show that with access to the best resources and system, kids of any race or background can excel.
Now to figure out how to expand that model, so we don’t have to wonder about disparities in elite colleges and the work force……….
Cubert recently posted…My Love-Hate Relationship with FitBit
Hey, Mr. Curbert. Thanks for stopping by. I’m not familiar with Andre’s academy. Checking it out now. I would love to see more competition and experimentation in lower education. The factory model of education that once served us well is no longer working for many if not most of our kids.
Another hard hitting post Mr Groovy.
I agree that there is a lot of excuses made by people because others have more privilege (born with a silver spoon etc). But I really do believe that this country is designed to award achievers and you can do so with any background or race. It is a merit based advancement system for the most part (I do think there are still some good ole boys clubs still in existence but for the most part you can be rewarded for what you bring to the table).
Now someone could argue that their could be bias in the question writing (I have heard that before) as some questions may not be applicable to students from a certain economic strata because it may be foreign to them but as long as the questions are designed to test a certain principal I still think results are valid.
Xrayvsn recently posted…Why 40 Million Is Not Enough For Me
Amen, brother. Couldn’t agree more. Is our country a perfect meritocracy? Of course not. But every person I know who has worked hard, delayed gratification, and kept vice at arm’s length has done well for him or herself financially. Bottom line: virtue wins out in the long run almost every time. And that’s something about America that should be celebrated. Love the cut of your jib, my friend. Cheers.
Yes. The same sort of thing bugs me when people talk about gender disparity in STEM subjects, or as stay at home parents. Should we encourage women to study math and science, when interested? Yes. Should we encourage men to be stay at home dads, when interested? Yes. But does it have to be “equal”, 50% men/50% women? No!
Thanks Mr. Groovy.
I love it, Julia. Talent, drive, and luck aren’t evenly distributed. Some groups have more of those three variables than others. And because of this, disparities aren’t evil on their face. They’re just a reflection of the human condition. Awesome comment, Julia. Cheers.
“And since no one that I’m aware of is physically restraining black students from studying math…” – this made me laugh!
In my school in Australia, we stream classes in Maths and Science in the junior levels. It’s very competitive to get in, apparently. The beauty of having Maths tests in order to see if kids qualify is that the results aren’t subjective – they either get it right or wrong. (Not exactly the same for the senior class I teach – which is Theatre Studies…)
One of our driving focuses for the last couple of years is devising how to push our high achievers to go further, instead of allowing them to coast through. As long as we’re pushing all of our students, regardless of their initial level of abilities, then society as a whole will end up benefitting as every kid finds success. This will, of course, look different for every kid.
“One of our driving focuses for the last couple of years is devising how to push our high achievers to go further, instead of allowing them to coast through. As long as we’re pushing all of our students, regardless of their initial level of abilities, then society as a whole will end up benefitting as every kid finds success. This will, of course, look different for every kid.”
Brilliant. Couldn’t agree more. And I agree that it’s particularly bad policy to let our most gifted students coast. It’s hard to have empathy for those who struggle in school and life if you’ve never struggled yourself. Our most gifted students got to learn what it’s like to reach your limitations, what it’s like to struggle and fail. Another great comment, FDJ. Cheers.
Another thought-provoking post. 🙂 I’m surprised no one has trolled the post yet to call you a racist. I’m sure it will happen sooner or later. :-/
The problem isn’t GATE, but upstream from GATE. I don’t think this is a disagreement with anything you said. Just phrasing it a bit differently.
If we want better diversity in the GATE programs, then earlier in the education cycle we need to provide tools, incentives, encouragement, etc. for the children (or all backgrounds) to step up.
Brad, Fee-Only Financial Planning recently posted…Many Big Companies No Longer Require a College Degree
LOL! Yes, I’m the bad boy of FI. But so far my detractors have been kind. We’ll see. All’s fair in love, war, and blogging. Anyway, I love the points you raised. I really think it’s a mindset or attitude problem. For instance, I attended schools in a district that was half Christian and half Jewish. But most of the academic stars, including the valedictorian and salutatorian in my senior year, were Jewish. Why? The per-pupil spending was the same. The teachers were the same. Why was academic achievement unevenly distributed? Were my Jewish peers just smarter? Maybe. But I think the answer boils down to good old fashioned grit: the Jewish kids, in general, simply took school more seriously than the Christian kids, in general. They studied more and took harder classes. And this exact scenario is what bedevils us today. Black kids, in general, are struggling in school not because they’re not capable, and not because they’re bereft of resources (how can resources be an issue when great learning tools such as the Khan Academy are free?), but because they’re not applying themselves. And part of the reason they’re not applying themselves is that they’re never held accountable. According to Mrs. Pirtle and other Progressives, black kids only do poorly in school because of “racism” and the lack of “privilege.” It’s never because they’re lazy or undisciplined. Sigh. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Great comment.
Yes, your cultural comment is very accurate.
Don’t look at it only at the micro-level that the kids are lazy or undisciplined though.
I’ve done a lot of work with both international mission trips and US-based community support programs. One thing I learned, that I hadn’t considered before my service work, is that culture matters a lot more than non-struggling people realize.
Many of the people who struggle, in whatever way, have been raised in families and communities where they have been told – directly or through indirect methods – that they’ll never succeed. They’ll always be poor. They’ll always be held down by “the man”. They’ll never be able to make six-figures at a job. They’ll die young. Etc.
The Jewish community is generally a positive one of support and encouragement. This is definitely not the case in all cultures.
Don’t discount the impact on a young person of how they’re raised and the words that are spoken over them. If you’ve been discouraged since birth, breaking free from that mindset, while of course possible, is very hard for most people.
Very sobering follow-up, my friend. Thank you.
There are other things that contribute to the lack of success among students of all races and that is economics. Kids from wealthier families may have access to tutors that others can’t afford. However we have to look at why there is a wealth difference between families to start with. Many times it is because the parents haven’t put the time and effort needed to provide a better life for their families. Sometimes it is because people have more kids than they can afford or they have them at a younger age. Has Ms. Pirtle considered the affect of single parent households on the success of kids growing up without a father in the house (or even in their lives)? How many kids haven’t learned the importance of studying hard and succeeding in school since they would rather play games, music or sports in the unrealistic expectation that they will make it big in those fields? Everything you mentioned and the things here are solely controlled within the community she says is under-advantaged. Perhaps she should work in those communities to solve the root problems rather than being envious of others. No one ever succeeded based on how much envy they had for others.
Exactly! Nailed it, Pat. It’s no coincidence that incomes and education success parallel the stats on single-parent households. Asian-Americans have the lowest percentage of single-parent households and the highest household incomes and the highest education success. Black-Americans, on the other hand, have the highest percentage of single-parent households and the lowest household incomes and the lowest education success. The problems in the black community have little to do with anti-black racism. It’s largely about culture. And as long as thought leaders like Mrs. Pirtle continue to harp on “racism” and “privilege,” the problems in the black community will never go away. Great comment.
Mr. Groovy recently posted…Privilege Envy Syndrome