2nd year MPP Eryn Gorang @gogogorang shares her background and what she has been doing over the summer:

“As a kid, I was bussed into a Title I school to participate in gifted programming. Over half of my schoolmates were Latinx. However, my (mostly white) gifted classes did not reflect the school’s demographics. My experience was not unique. Black, latinx, and indigenous students are excluded from gifted programs at alarming rates, which can be detrimental to their future college or career opportunities.

Influenced by my experience, I am researching racial inequities in gifted programs across North Carolina public school districts. As part of an IES research grant from the U.S. Department of Education, my research team identifies gifted programs that are not racially representative of a school district’s overall student body. We then assess each district to determine the probable causes for the racial divide. Our research team is crafting a website where school districts are held accountable for the racial inequity of their gifted programming, complete with resources to help districts improve their practices.“ —Eryn Gorang, MPP’21

#DukeSanford #mpp