Boston Public Schools (BPS) are halting a selective program for high-performing kids in grades four through six because of a lack of racial equality in the makeup of the student population, local media have reported. The program, known as Advanced Work Classes (AWC), will be paused for a year, reported PBS-affiliate WGBH. “There’s been a lot of inequities that have been brought to the light in the pandemic that we have to address,” Superintendent Brenda Cassellius told the outlet. “There’s a lot of work we have to do in the district to be anti-racist and have policies where all of our students have a fair shot at an equitable and excellent education.” According to the school district’s website (pdf), the AWC is a full-time program that provides an “accelerated academic curriculum for highly motivated and academically capable students.” Students who wish to participate need to take the popular Terra Nova …