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They certainly are. Huge proof of this is evident in how the message of a tremendous chronicle of the efforts of a teacher working in a 'magnet' school in the Los Angeles area -trying to remedy this situation for the sake of gifted brown-and-black students bussed to an upscale high-school (primarily for white and Asian students) - has been denied to the public.

In the book, the teacher describes her many efforts to place qualified black and brown students into Progressive and Honors courses - to no avail. Meanwhile, white and Asian students from upper-class homes, with sometimes deplorable scholastic scores, nonetheless are assigned to the better curricula by the school administrators.
Lou Ann Johnson's book,"My Posse Don't Do No Homework", was purchased for filming rights, and altered in ways designed to completely erase her messsage.
The setting was changed from an upscale L.A. neighborhood to a dangerous ghetto. Though only one fight was recounted in the book (a schoolgirl spat), the dominant theme of the movie was violence, from the opening theme by Coolio ("Gangsta's Paradise") to the homicidal ending.It appeared, in the movie, that the ethnic kids,due to their violent natures and other personal failures, were their own worst enemies (as a lot of people already suspected about 'those people').There was no mention of unfair educational practices on the part of the school administrators in "Dangerous Minds" - to the contrary (as the "new-improved title" implied) one wouldn't soon associate this crowd with prospects of higher-education.
Miss Johnson, a retired Naval clerical officer, was transformed into an Amazonian ass-kicking ex-Marine, who's hand-to-hand combat skills - and readiness to use them in the classroom - supplied the vital link to earn the respect of her brutish charges.The subsequent TV-series continued along this theme:nothing to impugn the administrators , nobody would ever associate the students depicted here with requiring anything like higher-educational opportunities (more like a gun, a whip and a chair).
Miss Johnson's book should be read by everyone interested in the principles that this country purportedly stands for: for fair chances for all - as much as a level playing field can be provided.Many assume that to be the case with public education, without questioning if it's true;it's easy to assume that the smart and industrious will always 'rise to the top', while those at society's lowest rungs remain there only because of their own personal failings (and, unfortunately, it's comforting to many of the privileged never to question such philosophy).
Miss Johnson's work deserves better than it's received, by far. Her message is needed by those truly interested in knowing if gifted and talented programs are elitist in this society.

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