Well, That’s Counterintuitive

The schools are doing a great job! It’s true, because I read it in EdWeek:

In 2003, 75 percent of students ages 12 to 17 met or exceeded the appropriate academic level for their age, up from 69 percent in 1994, says a report by the US Census Bureau.

The report added that nearly one of every four students in the 12- to 17-year-old age group was classified as gifted or participated in academically advanced programs as of the 2002-2003 school year. The study also found that 67 percent of 3- to 5- year olds that year had restrictions on what television programs they could watch, when, and for how long, compared with 54 percent in 1994. The study, based on the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, included 73 million children.

“A Child’s Day: 2003” is online at www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p70-109.pdf.

The notion that 1/4th of all kids are gifted is a dangerous one; the only that that works is if you’ve watered down the definition of “gifted” so far that it’s become meaningless. It’s also an interesting exercise to compare what this report says to what the NAEP says, and what we’ve heard for the last 5 years since NCLB came to life.