Candidates split on future of NYC's gifted and talented program

Educators are concerned about where the future of New York City schools' long-debated gifted and talented (G&T) program stands in the mayoral election. But the top three candidates don't agree on the issue.

- By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Stock image of a Black student sitting at the table. (Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels)

(cottonbro studio via Pexels)

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is for phasing G&T out, while independent candidate former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa are for expansion.

First introduced to the city's public school system in the 1970s, the G&T application and admissions process rigorously tests "exceptional" students around the age of four. After the 1990s, the city's G&T programs went from being controlled by individual school districts to a more centralized process with standardized tests under mayoral control.

Where a student gets accepted is also a factor for families to consider. Not all districts have G&T classrooms, and there are no citywide G&T schools in the Bronx, Staten Island, or parts of Queens and Brooklyn. Combined with the time-consuming admissions process, it's yet another example of inequities and segregation in the system that tend to benefit white, Asian and affluent students.

Still, when the city considered dismantling the entire program in 2019 under former Mayor Bill de Blasio in the hopes of diversifying schools, many pushed back. Instead of elimination, some educators advocated for expansion of the program without a focus on standardized tests to give more Black, Hispanic, and low-income children a chance to get in.