How to increase access to gifted programs for low-income and black and Latino children

Many of the public school gifted and talented programs that serve high-ability students don’t reflect the diversity of their communities. New York City, with roughly 1.1 million students, is an extreme example.

While roughly 4 in 6 of its kindergartners are black or Latino, those children account for only about about 1 in 6 of all public school students identified as gifted and talented.
Concerns about this underrepresentation recently led a School Diversity Advisory Group appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to recommend that the city’s school system end all gifted and talented programs in its elementary and middle schools.

We are scholars of gifted education and education policy. Between us, we have lived in eight states and worked with 11 different school districts.

Based on what we’ve learned and seen along the way, we believe that de Blasio shouldn’t follow the panel’s recommendations. In our view, they are inconsistent with the large body of evidence supporting the need for increasing access to gifted and talented services and instruction for students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds who are ready for more advanced coursework.