One year ago the mayor’s School Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG) proposed to “[d]iscontinue the use of the Gifted & Talented admissions test” and “[i]nstitute a moratorium on new Gifted & Talented programs …” in a misguided and ill-conceived plan to achieve the laudable goal of increased racial diversity in NYC public schools. The backlash from public school parents and Queens elected officials was immediate. SDAG’s chairperson, Maya Wiley (yes, the one rumored to run for mayor) ,tried to explain away the plain meaning of the words in the report and suggested they were not calling to end G&T. In other words, 2+2 does not always equal 4. Mayor de Blasio and his embattled school chancellor said they needed time to review. A year later, the families that depend on and seek out G&T programs for accelerated and challenging education have no certainty about the future of the program.
Full article on Queens Chronicle: https://www.qchron.com/opinion/columns/preserve-and-expand-nyc-s-successful-g-t-programs/article_fb58e34c-5227-5070-9101-c3fa2d8819f9.html