“Every child who qualifies or simply wants one should be guaranteed a gifted and talented education and we are grateful that the Schools’ Chancellor Carranza is recognizing that. Free of the physical limits of a physical school or classroom, public schools can desegregate and open these programs to students across our city.”
“As we see a new surge in cases with parents and students choosing between continuing a hybrid in-person model or fully remote, we must implement a citywide remote learning option this school year that offers enrichment programs like gifted and talented or teaches to students’ learning style. With remote learning varying by classroom from hours of live streamed instruction to independent learning assignments followed by weekly reviews, we can and must connect families and parents with an education that supports their learning style.”
Background:
On August 7, as reported in the New York Post, former Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus Co-Chair Robert Cornegy, Jr. and Council Member Ben Kallos demanded that public schools use all remote learning as an opportunity to desegregate schools while catering to student learning styles and offering enrichment such as gifted and talented for all.
On August 23, the New York Post Editorial Board supported this proposal in an editorial “How NYC could make remote learning into a winner for many kids.”
On October 16, at an Education Committee Hearing, in response to questioning by Council Member Ben Kallos, Schools’ Chancellor Carranza expressed openness to using remote learning to expand gifted and talented programs requesting a copy of the letter which was sent again (see video at 2:35:14).
On October 22, at a Queens parental advisory board meeting, Chancellor Richard Carranza, said “In a virtual environment, if you have some criteria, then a student could ostensibly, with a very gifted teacher, have more students having an experience of a gifted experience, not just in one classroom. Let’s say you have a really gifted and talented teacher that is willing to have 60 students across five schools in Queens. Now you have the ability to give that experience to more students,” according to the New York Post.