UFT President Randi Weingarten on Klein’s gifted and talented proposal

Oct 30, 2007 10:45 AM

Moving away from the current system, in which admissions standards vary widely from school to school, Schools Chancellor Klein proposed on Oct. 29 a single, higher standard of giftedness for all schools. All students would be given the same two tests, and only those with a combined score in the top 5% will get into the coveted programs. Students now in gifted and talented classes will not be affected.

UFT President Randi Weingarten’s statement:

“The proposal sounds good, but we must avoid creating a Robin Hood situation. The Department of Education should ensure that schools and districts with viable gifted and talented programs are held harmless while increasing the availability of such programs for districts and schools that have been shortchanged or historically underserved. The department should also monitor the programs and collect data to correct any disparities in their implementation.”