About New York City's Gifted and Talented Programs
NYC’s Gifted and Talented programs accept students from kindergarten through third grade, and are intended to support academic development for exceptional students through specialized, enriched, and/or accelerated instruction. Students are admitted to Gifted and Talented programs based on their scores on special standardized assessments, taken only for this purpose. Due to the high demand and limited space in Gifted and Talented programs, the admissions process is highly competitive.
About Our Study
The Research Alliance is conducting a two-pronged study of the City’s Gifted and Talented programs, in an effort help guide NYC and other school districts toward Gifted and Talented policies that are both equitable and effective.
The study will address two sets of questions:
- Many critics argue that the Gifted and Talented admissions process is not equitable across racial, ethnic, and socio-economic lines. We will work to identify impediments in the admissions process that may limit access for students from low-income families, students of color, and English language learners, in order to inform possible solutions that can increase equity.
- We will examine the impact of Gifted and Talented programs on students’ elementary school achievement.
This study is supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
