Gary says he hopes his column on enrichment programs “generates some conversation”.
Enrichment is derived from Latin for “children of rich parents who complain.” In many cases, enrichment becomes its own course for children fortunate enough to gain entrance. Enrichment is too often a pull-out program where a very small number of kids leave their regular classroom to engage in the sorts of enriching activities that would benefit every child, while disrupting the child’s classroom. My informal research and experience suggests that enrichment is where lucky students experience project-based learning, read books they enjoy, play games and take field trips. Sometimes any child (who can afford it) may elect to be part of enrichment.
I don’t know about conversation but that alone should upset more than a few people.
In our overly-large school district, the programs Gary discusses are called GT and any talk of modifying or cutting them ranks right up there with boundary changes as third-rail topics for school administrators.
However, aren’t we living in Lake Wobegon (where all the children are above average).
So, why not eliminate GT and make all classes “enriched”?