One Brooklyn
January 23, 2017
BOROUGH PRESIDENTS PLAN STUDY OF ISSUES SURROUNDING GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION AS WELL AS ADMISSIONS PROCESS FOR CITY’S SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS
BROOKLYN, NY, January 23, 2017: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced the creation of a new task force to study issues surrounding gifted and talented education in New York City public schools, as well as the admissions process for the city’s specialized high schools. The newly created task force will be comprised of government officials, community members and parents who are familiar with the issues gifted students face in New York City schools. The task force will host public hearings in March, and will release a set of recommendations for the future of gifted education in New York City. Both borough presidents have been outspoken about the dearth of gifted and talented programs in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“Gifted and talented children live in communities from Park Slope to Port Morris, from Bedford Park to Brownsville,” said Borough President Adams. “Unfortunately, our students’ home addresses are playing too heavy a role in their access to high-quality specialized education that taps into their full academic potential. This task force will uproot the causes of these challenges and lay out a road map for a more equitable and prosperous system.”
“For too long, students in communities all over the city — such as the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn — have been denied the opportunities that their counterparts in other boroughs have been provided when it comes to gifted and talented programs,” said Borough President Diaz. “We cannot send our children to Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech if they are not prepared. And we cannot expect them to be prepared if they do not have the same advantages that are offered to other communities. Our children lack gifted programs and adequate test prep resources, among other things, and the results are crystal clear. Through this task force, we will work to change that.”
The task force will be made up of both borough presidents, as well as three parent leaders from each borough. Borough President Adams’ appointees from Brooklyn are Nikki Lucas, a parent at JHS 88 Peter Rouget; Melanie Mendonca, president of Community Education Council (CEC) District 23, and Ralph Yozzo, a member of CEC District 16. Borough President Diaz’s appointees from The Bronx are Stephen Francisco, a member of CEC District 10; Nancy Kheck, a member of CEC District 11; and Katie Sperling of the Parent Alliance for Collaborative Education (PACE).
“The struggle for equitable access in the Bronx permeates every step of the gifted and talented process, from the tests used for admission and who takes them to how many seats and where they are located, from the quality of the programs to parity in K-8 access across boroughs,” said Francisco. “I look forward to working with other members of the taskforce to propose solutions that will increase the opportunities and representation of the entire Bronx community in the gifted and talented system. As a former teacher, a former student, and a current parent and uncle of kids in NYC public schools, I look forward to championing their interests, and those of all my neighbors.”
“As a veteran medical science educator, I’ve conducted education and public outreach in the K-12 setting throughout my years of teaching university and medical students,” said Kheck. “My goal is to help learners at all levels to explore their passions and channel their potential. All three of my children have gone through New York City gifted and talented schools in Manhattan and more recently in The Bronx. There are major disparities in how resources for this enriched programming are allocated to our borough, and consequently Bronx children are underrepresented in NYC specialized high schools. This is why I serve on CEC District 11 with other parent advocates. I’m committed to advancing Borough President Diaz’ mission to ensure equity and access to all who qualify for gifted and talented, and supporting the unmet needs of accelerated learners throughout The Bronx.”
“I am excited that Borough President Adams has formed this task force to identify barriers in education equality for gifted and talented children in underserved areas,” said Lucas. “I look forward to serving and sharing my own experience to help other families in my community and well beyond.”
“The PACE group is honored to work with Borough Presidents Diaz and Adams to help ensure adequate educational options for undeserved communities in The Bronx and Brooklyn,” said Sperling. “One immediate concern is the lack of a K-8 gifted school in The Bronx. Over 400 Bronx students must commute everyday to Queens and Manhattan because their home borough doesn’t meet their schooling needs.”
“Gifted and talented programs are very important to help our children be all that they can be,” said Yozzo. “We need to have a wide range of programs because our children have a wide range of abilities. The gifted and talented programs also give parents choices that they might not have without the program.”
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CONTACT:
Stefan Ringel
Communications Director
Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
(917) 574-3277
[email protected]
John DeSio
Communications Director
Office of the Bronx Borough President
(718) 590-3543
[email protected]
