Holding back gifted students in the name of equity

The Washington Post ^ | October 4, 2025 4:13 p.m. EDT | Editorial Board

[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...

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TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: closekthru12; closepublicschools; harrisonbergeron; idiocracy

[ClearCase_guy]

Crabs in a bucket. Some climb but the others pull them down.

[God luvs America]

LOL- even far LW WaComPost understands ayatollah mamdani is garbage...

[Lizavetta]

Here's the deal with EQUITY.

It doesn't bring, and wasn't meant to bring, the lower levels higher.

The goal is to lower the higher levels lower so that there is no one "higher."

There's you're equity. You're all equitably LOW.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

“Gifted” just means “normal.”

The “gifted” programs are a means of allowing the normal kids to escape the bedlam cause by the “non-gifted.”

[Frank Drebin]

Harrison Bergeron come to life.

[frank ballenger]

For decades the teachers have promoted bringing higher achievers down to the middle so as not to make the low achievers feel uncomfortable.

Society lost some good people who grew up without encouragement and opportunities——such as boys who raised their hands in class but never got called on by the sexist feminist women teachers pushing female empowerment.

[Political Junkie Too]

With Mamdani, instead of getting the next Einstein, we'll get the next Feinstein.

What a difference an "F" makes in the schools!

-PJ

[Hodar]

Harison Bergeron come to life.

Alas, we have come to the point where the average “intelligent” person no longer understands the reference, as they are both too ignotant and too lazy to be bothered to look up tbe short story of Harison Bergeron

[dangus]

The interesting thing here is that the Washington Post loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved the Fairfax County, VA folks who wanted to end Thomas Jefferson’s enriched science program because it didn’t have enough illiterate illegal aliens from Latin America enrolled.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Harison Bergeron come to life. Alas, we have come to the point where the average 'intelligent' person no longer understands the reference, as they are both too ignotant and too lazy to be bothered to look up tbe short story of Harison Bergeron"

Freeper literacy! Hurray!

Harrison Bergeron Wiki on this now classic Vonnegut short story from 1961.

Full text at Internet Archive --- Harrison Bergeron Read about the Handicapper General.....

[webheart]

Ha ha gifted students. My daughter went to school in fourth grade where the principal was married to the “head teacher” and they had two gifted children in the gifted and talented program.

[Lockbox]

What about NYC professional sports teams? Why should world class athletes be the only ones to earn millions and play a game! Time to provide equal access to all sports no matter a player’s ability’s!

[Islander7]

“… 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? …”

Anyone with five functioning brain cells. That’s who.

[Whatever Works]

I taught gifted. The programs no longer reflect excellence. Homeschool or seriously supplement. Done let the government define your child’s gifted education.

[beef]

“Harrison Bergeron come to life.”

I wonder who he names to be the Handicapper General.

[HYPOCRACY]

The left uses cautionary tales as “How To” manuals. 1984, Harrison Bergeron, Frankenstein, Soylent Green, I Robot,The Forbin Project etc.

[FlyingEagle]

EQUITY is not EQUALITY

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL -
means we all start out the same.

EQUITY - means we all end up the same by government fiat.

That is Marxist Communism, not socialism.

[cnsmom]

So the Asian families just moved to the excellent MD Science and robotics schools across the Potomac River in Maryland.

[beef]

I hope he is able to swiftly implement all of his programs. Sometimes, things have to get worse before they can get better.