Mamdani's equity

United States

​Holding back gifted students in the name of equity
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The Washington Post ^ | October 4, 2025 4:13 p.m. EDT | Editorial Board
Posted on 10/4/2025, 1:48:43 PM by E. Pluribus Unum Zohran Mamdani treads on dangerous ground by putting equity ahead of educational opportunity.

Who could have guessed that Zohran Mamdani (D), the leading candidate to become the next New York mayor, would provoke a firestorm by announcing this week that he intends to phase out the city’s early elementary school programs for gifted students in the name of equity? Parents of bright children want access to schooling that meets their needs? Shocking.

Mamdani’s plan, first revealed in response to a questionnaire from the New York Times, would eliminate gifted programs for all children in public schools until they enter third grade. Currently, students can enter these programs as early as kindergarten based on nominations from their preschool teachers, as well as other measures such as report cards. The gifted program, which has spots for only about 2,500 children out of roughly 55,000 citywide, teaches the same curriculum but at a faster pace.

The left has long criticized the programs for exacerbating segregation in the city’s school system. Students who come from higher-income families are at an advantage of being selected, resulting in a disproportionate number of White and Asian kids. Black and Hispanic kids, who comprise 66 percent of total enrollment, make up only 21 percent of participants in these programs.

Mamdani’s campaign has also criticized the selection process. “Identifying academic giftedness at age 4 is hard to do objectively by any assessment, whether through testing or teacher nominations,” campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement to Chalkbeat. Mamdani’s plan, she wrote, “will ensure that every New York City public school student receives a high-quality early education that enables them to be challenged and fulfilled.”

But what Mamdani and school systems that have made similar changes don’t seem to appreciate is that...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com …

Ironically, what Pekec says is true. School systems are completely inept at identifying extremely gifted children, especially boys, whose autism rates are higher.