to G&T or not to G&T?

There are parents whose children will have a wide variety of experiences in elementary school, including students who have had mixed experiences in G&T and gifted kids who have flourished in gen ed classrooms where teachers are skilled in differentiation. I don't dislike the environments in many gifted classrooms. I just want families to understand the full picture as well. G&T isn't the only path for a bright, talented or hard working kid.

There are many students at Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, or Bard who have never seen the inside of a G&T classroom and there is no "feeder" aspect in admissions to gaining entry at coveted middle and high schools from a gifted elementary classroom. G&T essentially ends in 5th grade. Do not be fearful that a bright child from a supportive home who is attending a safe general ed elementary filled with talented teachers can find their way to rigorous high schools and highly selective colleges. I have watched thousands of kids follow these various paths. LIfe is long, and kids grow in many different ways on their own timelines, academically, physically, artistically, and emotionally. The NYC G&T admissions process has a significant random aspect to it and it doesn't follow conventional timelines. In most places in the world, G&T would begin at 3rd grade and move into middle school. We start at K and it ends at middle school. Odd to me.

It is an alternative option and you are right to do your due diligence in investigating what is out there. A G&T classroom is not inherently a higher quality classroom, although it can be an interesting alternative to your local zoned program. There is no NYC Public School "G&T curriculum." What happens in that classroom goes teacher by teacher. They are not generally smaller classes, they don't necessarily have 'better' teachers (although there are lovely teachers in many of those classrooms) and they are not all accelerated in the way that parents may expect. In my experience the one thing that they do have in common is that they are a curated classroom of parents. They are parents who understand how to apply and can navigate going to a school that may be far from their home. The programs generally end at 5th grade with the exception of the very few seats available at the Citywide gifted programs like NEST+M, Anderson, BSI, TAG and Q300. Hunter is a different thing altogether and while free, is not part of the NYC Public School system. Generally the DoE describes these classes as "accelerated" but in my experience the strongest G&T classrooms are more enriched than accelerated. Deeper investigation in an enriched classroom is often more productive for gifted children than faster investigation in an accelerated classroom. Good G&T classrooms can do both. Good differentiated general ed classrooms can as well.

gifted and talented over-offer at PS 32

By Joyce Szuflita
First let me say that PS 32 is blameless in this fiasco. Last year, their first year with a g&t kindergarten, PS 32 in Carroll Gardens had a small under capacity classroom. Over the 2011/12 year, PS 32 gained a reputation as a strong, happy and conveniently located program. This year many families placed it high on their g&t wish lists. The DoE, seeing that last year, there was a less than 30% registration rate, decided to assign 70 students to the classroom, thinking that only a small percentage would actually want to attend. They didn't realize that the school had become a "go to" program in the district in one short year.

So what is happening at PS 32 today? They already have over 30 families registered with more coming. They are registering all families through the June 5 deadline and trying desperately to find out what to tell the families to calm their fears. Families are worried that they won't be able to attend the school that they chose and were placed in. Many of these families have already been saddened by the fact that there are not even close to enough seats in the city wide schools that they qualified for, but they were happy to have this new local option that looks so promising.

No Citywide G & T at PS 20 in Brooklyn

PS 20 will no doubt weather its troubles, but it is sad news for children who tested into the citywide gifted and talented program. One less option is always a sad story. Many parents saw the placement of a citywide program, which would consist of a single class on a grade, into an existing school as a curious move on the DOE's part. Considering the three citywides in Manhattan are full schools (although petite) it enables the teachers and administrators to build school wide programs especially designed for this end of the special needs spectrum. I would imagine that the school wide staff development geared to G&T would be invaluable and help produce fine and sought after programs.

The city has for years placed single G & T classes in general ed schools and although the talented teachers that lead these classes have toiled in solitude (one on a grade) they have done a fine job. It seems to me that the citywide program is serving a different purpose. I believe that was the thinking of the many parents that left their northern Brooklyn neighborhoods in droves to seek out Brooklyn School of Inquiry. Insideschools has reported that because of the huge popularity of the school that they will be adding a third kindergarten to the school and only opening one first grade class.

So, were Principal Keaton's troubles the reason that the program has closed? Was it the fact that it looked like this program, that had been given special development and attention at other schools, a seeming afterthought at PS 20? Was it a lack of focus and expertise in gifted and talented education that put parents off? We won't know. The DOE has a challenge finding the resources, the location and the educators to pull off this kind of program. I think that they have made a great bet in Donna Taylor and Brooklyn School of Inquiry.