Several state and city elected officials called for legislation on October 10 demanding that the New York City government increase the number of gifted and talented (G&T) program seats in each school district within the five boroughs, providing more students with accelerated educational opportunities. This initiative comes as the gifted and talented program once again becomes a focal point in the mayoral election.
The bill was introduced by Democrat Assemblyman William Colton from South Brooklyn in January, urging the city government to expand the number of gifted and talented program slots in each district. Colton emphasized that education is not a one-size-fits-all policy area, stating in a press release, “There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Having taught in elementary school for 11 years early in my career, I know from personal experience that every child’s needs and talents are different, and tailored education must be provided from the start.”
On Friday afternoon, Colton’s chief of staff, Li-ning He, along with State Assemblyman Yong Jia Zheng, State Senator Xue Li Chen, representatives of Councilwoman Wen Yi Zhuang, and several parents and school district committee members gathered outside P.S. 205 Elementary School to promote the bill and urge the state legislature to swiftly pass it.
Republican State Assemblyman Yong Jia Zheng pointed out that this bill was a result of bipartisan cooperation aimed at preventing political considerations from interfering with education policy. “Our education system is being targeted by a potential mayoral candidate who wants to abolish the gifted and talented program for students in grade five and under,” Zheng said. “Although Assemblyman Colton and I belong to different parties, I fully support Bill A1881 that he introduced and have been concurrently promoting complementary legislation with State Senator Xue Li Chen to ensure that gifted education can enter the legislative process without being scrapped due to individual candidates’ biases.”
He emphasized that the elimination of the gifted and talented program was done without consulting parents or schools and amounted to an “assault on educational excellence.”
State Senator Xue Li Chen, also representing South Brooklyn, passionately criticized the policies of the mayoral candidate who opposes the gifted and talented program, describing it as tantamount to declaring war on excellence. “I can’t believe we are discussing this again; this is another battle against children who strive and have talents,” Chen said. “Our specialized high schools have produced 15 Nobel laureates, more than 90% of countries in the world. Are we going to give this all up? Don’t we want to nurture more Nobel laureates?”
Chen pointed out that the gifted and talented program is not exclusive to any particular group but an opportunity for any student willing to work hard and cultivate good habits. He stated that he would introduce a complementary bill mirroring Colton’s version, requiring public schools with four or more classes per grade to retain at least one gifted and talented class.
“I hope this policy will listen to the opinions of teachers, parents, and students, ensuring that it truly reflects the needs of the education field,” he added.
Regarding the establishment of a formal platform to collect feedback, Chen responded by stating that over the past decade, he has been involved in school affairs as both a parent and PTA chair, knowing that the majority of parents support retaining and expanding the G&T program. “The waiting list itself is the best survey result,” he said. “Almost every school has parents hoping their children can participate in such courses.”
Chen added that the goal of education should be to “encourage more children to pursue excellence, not lower standards.”
Earlier this month, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stated that, if elected, he would eliminate the gifted and talented program for kindergarten students and delay the entrance assessment to third grade. He believes that four- and five-year-old children should not be labeled as geniuses.
“We should not establish assessment-based gifted child development programs for kindergarten children,” Mamdani expressed.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Kummer and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa advocated for expanding the gifted and talented program. Sliwa criticized Kummer for not actively supporting the program during former Mayor Blasio’s tenure.
Councilwoman Wen Yi Zhuang announced on the 10th that she is pushing for the “Education for Every Child” bill in the City Council, aiming to address the unequal distribution of gifted education resources. The bill requires the city government to investigate the reasons for the low number of preschool students selected for gifted programs and expand quotas in other districts based on Manhattan’s proportions. Moreover, the bill also asks the Department of Education to examine whether inadequate language support affects the eligibility of English as a Second Language (ESL) students and propose specific improvement measures.
Currently, New York City’s gifted and talented program only serves a small percentage of students, with course content mostly being accelerated versions of regular curriculum. According to Department of Education data, approximately 70% of gifted and talented students are white or Asian, while these two groups account for only about 35% of the total student population; Black and Hispanic students constitute over 60% of the entire system.
Critics argue that the gifted and talented program exacerbates racial and socioeconomic segregation in schools, but supporters contend that these programs provide necessary challenges for students who learn at a faster pace and are vital pathways to specialized high schools and higher academic achievements.
Former Mayor Blasio announced the abolition of the gifted and talented program as his term was ending to address educational inequality issues. Current Mayor Adams reinstated the program but replaced standardized testing with teacher recommendations as the basis for admission. Colton’s version of the bill suggests using “academic performance” as the selection criteria rather than a single test score.
Colton’s version has been submitted to the state legislature for review, while State Senator Xue Li Chen’s complementary version proposal has yet to be numbered, with both sides stating they will formally advance it during next year’s legislative session.
“What we want is more opportunities, not less,” Zheng summarized. “We want to ensure that children are encouraged to pursue excellence, not held back by politics.”