Pols call to expand the gifted and talented program

The conference comes after mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani revealed proposed changes to the program

Elected officials are sponsoring and supporting legislation to expand New York City’s gifted and talented program.

The announcement comes after mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani revealed he would eliminate the program from kindergarten to second grade.

“Zohran knows that five-year-olds should not be subjected to a singular assessment that unfairly separates them right at the beginning of their public school education,” spokesperson Dora Pekec said. “His agenda for our schools will ensure that every New York City public school student receives a high-quality early education that enables them to be challenged and fulfilled.”

Assemblymembers William Colton, Lester Chang and State Sen. Steve Chan are sponsoring legislation that would require the city’s Department of Education (DOE) to enhance its gifted and talented offerings in every New York City school district across the city in kindergarten through eighth grade.

“When it comes to a child’s education, we must be very clear that children’s needs, not abstract policy, should drive the decision,” said Colton. “Early childhood is a critical time in all students’ school careers. If we do not appropriately manage both special needs and special talents, then we run the risk that those children will not thrive as they move through the grades.”

“Our education is being targeted by a mayoral candidate who has a lot of power to cancel gifted and talented programs starting at kindergarten,” said Chang in a conference outside of P.S. 205 on Oct. 10. “I’m advocating and making the public aware that it is a bipartisan bill. I’m a Republican. Assemblymember Bill Colton, a Democrat, introduced a bill earlier for expanded gifted and talented programs. I saw the bill and spoke to the Assemblyman and said, ‘Let’s make it next year as we go into office.’ At the same time, State Sen. Steve Chan will have a companion bill.”

According to the New York Times, under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration in 2021, the city abandoned an admissions test for four-year-old students that had long been in use. The next year, Mayor Eric Adams expanded the gifted and talented program 

Councilmember Susan Zhuang also announced a legislation being written called the Education for Every Child Bill. It would mandate that the Mayoral Office for Child Care and Early Childhood Education look into why such a small percentage of pre-K students are considered for admissions to gifted and talented programs.

It would also develop a plan to increase the number of seats in the programs across the outer boroughs.

“We have left too many children behind in education,” said Zhuang. “We haven’t solved the issue of why so few kids are testing for G&T programs, why ESL students are disproportionally ineligible for testing or why Manhattan holds most G&T seats. These are tough problems to solve — we shouldn’t take away options for our kids just to eliminate the problem. Let’s face these issues and fight for Education for Every Child.”

Chalkbeat stated that the gifted programs enroll nearly 18,000 elementary students across 140 schools. Roughly 2,500 students are currently admitted in kindergarten and remain in separate classes or schools through fifth grade.

“War has been declared on the children who strive to make something of themselves and who work hard to be in the gifted and talented program,” said Chan. “I’m a dad of two girls in public schools, and I know how hard my two girls work on their own with good habits with parental support to be where they are today.”

Chan said his bill would preserve the program in each school with four classes or more in the same grade, requiring schools to reserve one class for a gifted and talented program.