De Blasio to overhaul gifted and talented program in NYC public schools

Driving the news: The new plan would create a program that "offers the possibility of accelerated learning to students in the later years of elementary school," the Times reports.

• The plan also completely eliminates the test currently given to kindergarten students to screen for the gifted and talented program.
• Elementary school students who are already enrolled in the program will be the last cohort.

The big picture: De Blasio, who critics say has been slow to fulfill his promise of tackling inequality in schools, unveiled his plan with just three months left in office.

• The gifted and talented program in New York City public schools, which drew mixed reactions, is considered a crucial stepping stone for students to secure a spot in competitive middle and high schools, per the Times.

What they're saying: Some parents say the program made it difficult for children in regular classes to succeed.

• "If we’re just dumping a bunch of resources into gifted and talented, everybody else suffers because they didn’t know somebody or they couldn’t afford a tutor," said Karla Stenius, a parent in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

• Others say the program gives students a pathway out of some of the city's struggling schools, per the Times.
• One expert, Jonathan Plucker, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, questioned the feasibility of teaching students with a range of abilities in one class, a practice called differentiation.
• "Differentiation is like a fuzzy blue unicorn," Plucker said. "It would be great if everyone had one; I’m just not sure it’s possible."