Overview
- Assemblymember William Colton rallied with colleagues on Friday to promote his January bill mandating more gifted-and-talented seats in every city school district.
- Colton’s proposal calls for admission based on academic merit without a dedicated entrance test, and state Sen. Stephen Chan said he is introducing a companion measure.
- The debate has sharpened in the mayoral race as Zohran Mamdani proposes ending kindergarten entry and shifting admissions to third grade.
- Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa have pledged to expand gifted offerings, contrasting with equity advocates who warn the programs entrench segregation.
- New York Appleseed cites data showing roughly 70% of gifted students are white or Asian despite those groups comprising about 35% of enrollment, and the programs serve a small share of students using the standard curriculum at a faster pace.