New York, NY, October 8, 2021 — PLACE NYC is outraged that Mayor de Blasio leaked significant changes to the Gifted and Talented (G&T) Program without the public engagement with families that he had promised since January and maintained that he would hold throughout the year. This is the second significant change to the program in the past year that creates more chaos for tens of thousands of families. With less than 60 business days left in his administration, de Blasio will not be around to administer and manage the changes. The next Mayor is being handcuffed by de Blasio’s extension of his personal Mayoral Control into the next term. The incoming Mayor will be saddled with the arduous task of potentially making yet again more changes when enrollment in NYC DOE-run schools have already declined significantly over the past two years.
“The elimination of the G&T program is just another example of this administration’s continued assault on high achieving students and accelerated learners. Along with the elimination of MS screens and the attempts to remove the SHSAT, this Mayor continues to lower academic standards of all NYC students,” said Yiatin Chu, PLACE NYC co-President.
There are indeed many areas of improvement needed in the current G&T program. PLACE NYC has proposed several key policy and process improvements such as universal screening using both local and national norms and greatly expanding advanced offerings so every child who needs accelerated learning is supported at a nearby local school.1
The lack of details on an immediate replacement plan highlights that this process should not be an 11th hour legacy-saving move driven by political ambition that attempts to usurp policy-making power from the incoming Mayor.
We need to take the time and honor the promise to engage families and listen to diverse voices before making any significant changes to education opportunities. The futures of all our city’s children are at stake.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
PLACE NYC Rally In Support of G&T and Accelerated Education
Date: October 14, 2021
Time: 12 Noon
Place: Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007
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Press Contacts:
Hunter Dare, Co-Chair of PLACE NYC Gifted Working Group
Michelle Lee, Co-Chair of PLACE NYC Gifted Working Group
placenyc.org@gmail.com1https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-building-better-gifted-talented-20211001-hkkuvqnjxfb6rl6w57ar3f2m7e-story.html