[quote=CA renter]This has been studied for generations, and many people who’ve studied it for decades will disagree about the causes of IQ differentials. I’m no expert; just stating what’s out there and what the effects of these differences are on our educational system.[/quote]
One of the reasons San Diego Unified uses the Ravin test for GATE testing is because it takes out cultural bias, native language bias, etc. It’s basically pattern recognition in a purely visual basis.
I can tell you that my kids’ seminar classes were ethnically mixed. Part of that is because they were at a school in a hispanic/vietnamese part of Clairemont. But the seminar teachers have such a reputation that kids literally choice in from La Jolla, Coronado, UC, and Point Loma. (Those are the white kids in the class.) All of the kids are super smart – but some come from challenging backgrounds. I would say the class was less than half white… so clearly there is ethnic diversity among cream of the smart kids.
In other districts that use a more typical IQ test – the factors mentioned above probably play a role of keeping non-english speakers at lower scores.