New York, NY –
Two City Council members are demanding changes in the city's new admissions policy for gifted and talented programs in its public schools, following news that the change did not bring more students in, or make the programs more ethnically and racially diverse.
Councilman Lew Fidler says seven city school districts had no gifted and talented programs this year, two more than last year.
FIDLER: The parent who's trying to decide whether or not they want their child to take the test is not going to be terribly encouraged knowing that the consequences of winning is that their child will have to find a way to get to a school in Coney Island from East New York.
REPORTER: Fidler and the council's education chair, Robert Jackson, have asked the Department of Education to set aside seats in each community school district for kindergartners entering gifted and talented programs.
The department is yet to respond to the request.
Arun Venugopal is a reporter and the creator of Micropolis, WNYC’s multi-platform series examining race, sexuality, religion, street life and other issues that define New York City. He has been with the station since 2005, and has covered a wide range of stories, including the death of Sean Bell, the controversy over the Park 51 mosque and community center and Occupy Wall Street .
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.