NYC eliminating gifted and talented program

[Anonymous]

Their intentions are good, but there will probably be another round of white flight from the city.

[Anonymous]

This is just a direct attack on academically successful Asian kids. However, won't hurt people with money who can send their kids to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is just a direct attack on academically successful Asian kids. However, won't hurt people with money who can send their kids to private.

This. It impacts families with immigrant parents who didn't have the opportunity for education in their home country. It hurts kids who have families that put an emphasis on education and came to the US to seek that out. Families with money have choices. These families don't. It's upsetting.

[Anonymous]

At the university level there is such a wide range of ages. Local papers love having stories of elderly graduates. I think that there is a danger that we brush off kids too soon. The writer of War Horse failed his 11+ so was denied entrance to Grammar school. Obviously they missed his huge abilities.

I say, make sure that gifted and talented programs have rolling admissions. If an essay is required for admission but a kid hasn’t mastered grammar or essay structure yet but has the inherent brain power, teach them the fundamentals then test them at the necessary level.

[Anonymous]

So if this is true, how will the educational needs of the gifted and talented kids be met? Are they all just going to be put in gen. ed. classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really shocked they have gifted & talented programs for Kindergarteners! It does seem terrible to track kids at such an early age. I can understand parents fear over this program ending since that’s what they’re used to and the Gen Ed programs probably suck…..BUT. It’s morally questionable.

I watched, in person, with my own eyes, a child being drilled, by a non-parent, for what I can only presume was the NYC "gifted" kid test. It wasn't being done in NYC but an area popular with that crowd. Tracking by natural ability, suuure they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is just a direct attack on academically successful Asian kids. However, won't hurt people with money who can send their kids to private.

This. It impacts families with immigrant parents who didn't have the opportunity for education in their home country. It hurts kids who have families that put an emphasis on education and came to the US to seek that out. Families with money have choices. These families don't. It's upsetting.

You might be interested to know that the program under discussion relies on a test administered at 4 years old, and disproportionately attracks UMC white families. This is not the competitive test-in high schools - it's an elementary school program.

[Anonymous]

*attracts.

[Anonymous]

Why so many articles from NY Times that you cant read because of paywall? I'm starting to wonder if some people are doing this on purpose.

[Anonymous]

The war on things Asians like escalates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is just a direct attack on academically successful Asian kids. However, won't hurt people with money who can send their kids to private.

This. It impacts families with immigrant parents who didn't have the opportunity for education in their home country. It hurts kids who have families that put an emphasis on education and came to the US to seek that out. Families with money have choices. These families don't. It's upsetting.

You might be interested to know that the program under discussion relies on a test administered at 4 years old, and disproportionately attracks UMC white families. This is not the competitive test-in high schools - it's an elementary school program.

DP. Why are they scrapping the program instead of fixing (changing) it?

[Anonymous]

This would be interesting because the Gifted Movement had as it's earliest champion, the Senator from NY, Jacob Javits who pushed through national legislation that got us all into this mess (separate Gifted Education, adopted by many states) This was the early 70's and it was seen as pushback to The American with Disabilities Act and it's anticipated affect on receiving a public education. NY has led this movement. Where they go, the rest of the nation, in some form, will follow eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if this is true, how will the educational needs of the gifted and talented kids be met? Are they all just going to be put in gen. ed. classrooms?

Yes, and the teachers will magically be able to differentiate for their 30 students

[Anonymous]

New Yorker here. There are pieces to that. 1) whether the kids who have better academic abilities deserve to be educated according to their abilities, and 2) whether the existing system selects the right kids for that education. My answers are yes to the first and not so sure to the second. The test they used fir 4 years old appears to be quite teachable (I personally know several people who put their kids in year-long prep program) while not particularly discriminate at the high end - too many kids are scoring at super high percentiles. So, that had to be reformed.

Unfortunately, knowing the political landscape in NYC, I am pretty sure they threw out the baby with the bath water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why so many articles from NY Times that you cant read because of paywall? I'm starting to wonder if some people are doing this on purpose.

Here it is on CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/08/us/new-york-gifted-and-talented-education-program/index.html