Supposedly in the name of equity, New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio is phasing out the Gifted and Talented Program in the city.
The announcement of the replacement program over Twitter, "Brilliant NYC," ended up being ratioed.
Today, we announced a plan to deliver accelerated instruction for tens of thousands of children, as opposed to a select few. Brilliant NYC continues the work of equity and excellence by making sure every single student in our schools has the opportunity to succeed.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 8, 2021
In her reporting for The New York Times, Eliza Shapiro claimed in her subheadline that the program "has become a glaring symbol of segregation in New York City public schools," noting also that de Blasio is leaving the replacement for his successor to have to deal with. She went on to also claim that it "has been widely criticized for exacerbating segregation in the nation’s largest school system."
As Ben Shapiro noted in tweeting out the article, Eliza Shapiro uses "segregation" or its variant eight times in the article.
NYT uses the word "segregation" or a variant thereof some eight times in a story about how magnet schools, which simply test aptitude in order to gain access to the schools, do not have racially representative populations https://t.co/jBSp8Q265k
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 8, 2021
Despite such claims, Shapiro herself admits that the programs have helped students, including and especially in minority communities:
The programs are considered a crucial stepping stone for students seeking to advance into competitive middle and high schools. Many parents, including Black and Latino parents, have sought out gifted classes as an alternative to the city’s struggling district schools, and have come to rely on them as a way to set their children up for future success.
The plan in place involves a replacement of the program, yet not surprisingly there are still unknowns. The mayor has yet to solicit feedback, either. Emphasis is added:
The system would be replaced by a program that offers the possibility of accelerated learning to students in the later years of elementary school. And the test given to kindergarten students to screen for the gifted program, already suspended in part because the city’s advisory school board refused to renew it last year, would be permanently ended.
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Under Mr. de Blasio’s plan, New York City will no longer admit rising kindergarten students into separate gifted classes or schools starting next fall. Instead, the city will train all its kindergarten teachers — roughly 4,000 educators — to accommodate students who need accelerated learning within their general education classrooms. The city does not yet have an estimate for how much the training will cost, though it is expected to be tens of millions of dollars.
And instead of the admissions exam, the city will evaluate all rising third graders, using past work and input from their teachers, to determine whether they need higher-level instruction in specific subject areas, for one or two periods a day.
The mayor has not yet solicited feedback from parent groups or elected officials on his gifted and talented plan. Officials said that he planned to consult with families and educators on the plan throughout October and November, and that aspects of the proposal could shift before he leaves office.
It is not yet clear, for example, what will happen to the five schools across the city that exclusively serve children who are considered gifted.
Democratic mayoral nominee, Eric Adams, who is expected to win the race, is against the plan, though what he has in mind is being made difficult thanks to the outgoing de Blasio:
Mr. Adams has endorsed a very different approach to gifted and talented: keep the classes, but increase them in low-income neighborhoods. Though that idea has been questioned by researchers, who have said it would do little to integrate the programs, it is popular with some parents, including Black and Latino families who want more gifted options.
Reversing Mr. de Blasio’s plan could be difficult, since it would require Mr. Adams to either resume the use of the unpopular admissions exam or come up with a new admissions method within the first few months of his mayoralty to allow students enough time to apply. Mr. Adams has said in the past that he supported keeping the exam, which was broadly criticized by experts, but that it should not be the only way that young children are evaluated for academic skills.
As a spokesperson for Adams told The New York Post, though, he "will assess the plan and reserves his right to implement policies based on the needs of students and parents, should he become mayor."
Mayor de Blasio only has three months left in office, hence the title of The Wall Street Journal's editorial reads "Bill de Blasio’s Parting Gift." The editorial begins by noting:
The foremost principle of the modern progressive is leveling everyone down. So it goes that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, weeks from leaving office, has decided to kill the city’s gifted-and-talented program for elementary students.
The New York Post is particularly critical of the decision. Reporting from the outlet notes how "Parents rip de Blasio for ‘abominable’ plan to end Gifted and Talented program." There's also an editorial that warns that "De Blasio’s bid to kill Gifted & Talented programs must not stand." And, a column from Michael Benjamin reads that "Gifted and Talented programs helped me and my family — de Blasio is taking away hope."