Task force hears strengths and weaknesses of gifted and talented programs

 A task force is learning the city Department of Education’s gifted and talented program (G&T) is in high demand, short supply, poorly publicized, and poses logistical nightmares for the hundreds of parents whose children enroll in the program. They’ve also found persisting racial inequities in a city where minorities dominate.

The task force, jointly led by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his Brooklyn counterpart, Eric Adams, held its first session on March 20 at the Bronx High School of Science, a specialized high school where entry becomes a years-long goal for parents. The eight-member panel heard from parents frustrated by a system where G&T seats are few in the Bronx.

The panel heard from Masura Tidjani, a mother of two African-American boys in School District 9 who qualified for a G&T program for the past two years. On the first day of one of her son’s G&T class, Tidjani was told that PS 199x The Shakespeare School had canceled it for the school year.

“When I spoke to the principal she told me that they were supposed to have the program for the past two years but did not have any programs because they don’t have enough students to open a class,” Tidjani told panelists, who sat jotting notes. “According to the DOE, you have to have at least 25 children in order to open a gifted and talented class.”

Her son re-took the test, scoring above 97 percent, which granted him access to the top-tier G&T schools across the city. He was denied entry.

“I’m not giving up until I get a solution for my issue and until I get an education that my kid deserves,” Tidjani said. “This is a zip code issue. Living in a zip code shouldn’t determine what education your children should get, but that’s what I’m experiencing right now.”

Tidjani’s story represents a common criticism of the program—underrepresentation of black and Hispanic students within G&T classes, which offer more rigorous instruction than regular classes. The program is historically viewed as a pipeline to specialized high schools, where academic standards are tougher but a pathway to college is paved. It was her story where Diaz and Adams look to include in a report listing deficiencies in a program where of the 8,220 applicants eligible for a seat during the 2016-17 school year, only 53 percent, or 4,392 were offered placement.

With so much demand, parents asked the task force to recommend the DOE to consider building a K-8 school solely for G&T students.

“[G]eographically, it’s difficult to traverse one side—we’re in District 10 which goes all the way over to Fordham and all the way over to the northwest corner at the Hudson [River]. You’re never going to be able to place enough district programs in this district to satisfy the needs of every parent. That’s a challenge where I don’t know what the answer to that is,” Damian McShane, a parent of a G&T student, said. McShane proposed a G&T citywide school in the Bronx, arguing “you will see parents organically develop and grow.” 

The panel also heard from Yajaira Adorno of Norwood, who notes that while the G&T classes offer a well-rounded education, critical issues remain unresolved.

There’s the issue of busing her third grade son a mile and a half to PS 7 Milton Fein School, the closest school that offers a G&T class, but an inconvenience that’s nonetheless anxiety-inducing. Bus drivers, after all, are driving 30 to 40 kids to school with no adult supervision, she noted. Compounding the daily challenge is her son classified as a student on an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which offers extra services for his disabilities. The services, she claims, are unavailable at a middle school where she hopes her son will attend in three years.

“[T]here is no school that caters to a student like mine, a son like mine, a learner like mine who needs all of these services that pull him out of class two to three hours a week, pulling him out of instruction,” Adorno told the task force. 

G&T Classes
G&T classes are divided into two types: District G&T Classes and Citywide G&T Classes. The latter are considered highly sought after by parents wanting a more rigorous education for their kids. There are only five Citywide G&T Classes offered only in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Placement in a G&T class depends largely on zip codes, with more G&T schools available in other parts of the city when compared to the Bronx.

Overall, there are only 10 District G&T classes offered in the Bronx, compared to 16 in Manhattan, 27 in Brooklyn, 29 in Queens, and eight in Staten Island. Students from kindergarten through third grade take the test in January and get their results in April. Should a student score a 90 or above, they are eligible for a G&T class and must register by June to begin classes in September.

It remains unclear how many students choose a particular school. Citywide schools are the most highly sought after. For Jennifer Fox, a parent, they’re the only good ones. “Why does that opportunity exist only in the Upper East Side?” Fox testified at the hearing.

Students can enroll in a G&T class after signing up to take a nonverbal and verbal test every January. Results are sent in April, and the deadline to sign up for a class is in June. Handbooks outlining the process are available, but many parents at the hearing complained they’re not well promoted.

“I’ve seen G&T books, thousands of books just lying waist deep,” Theodore James, a parent, said at the hearing. “They’re not getting to the parents.”

Adorno proposed pre-K teachers inform parents of the exam. “Why can’t we do one or two parent nights where we talk about the G&T exams and register the kids right there on the spot so they can go and take the test?” she asked.

Will Mantell, a spokesperson for the DOE, said the agency is “committed to providing high-quality instruction at all schools, and gifted and specialized programs are one option for students and families. There is much more work to do to ensure equity and excellence at every public school in New York City.”

The DOE has tried to make everyone aware of the program this year by sending out mailers, according to Mantell.