‘Equity through mediocrity’: NYC mayoral frontrunner Mamdani wants to cut gifted and talented programs for public-school students

Democrat New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to remove gifted and talented programs for public-school students has drawn ire from analysts who accuse him of increasing “equity through mediocrity.”

“Faced with a huge number of students with comparably dismal scores in math, English, and science, Mamdani is going to bulldoze higher-achieving programs,” writes Jonathan Turley in a commentary for The Hill. 

“Although Mamdani is currently focusing on lower grades, these programs are under fire as racist or privileged since less than a quarter of students come from Black or Latino populations.” 

By cloaking the removal of these programs under the guise of fighting racism, Mamdani and other politicians are “virtually pushing high-achieving families and students out of public education,” Turley laments. 

“These schools spend massively while cranking out kids with little hope to compete in the new economy or escape a cycle of poverty. This new ideal of ‘grading for equity’ is designed to manipulate test standards to create the appearance of success.” 

‘Dumbing down of our public schools’ 

Turley, law professor at George Washington University, criticizes the Big Apple’s record school funding amid dismal academic results. 

“New York spends more than any other city on education at $41 billion a year — $36,293 per pupil,” he notes. “Much of this money is devoured by a bloated educational bureaucracy, which has been failing our children for decades. More than 40 percent of grammar school students in the city failed the state’s standardized math and reading tests last year.” 

Mamdani’s plan to eliminate higher-achieving programs is even more ironic given his personal involvement with them, according to Turley. 

“Gifted and talented programs are a source of pride for many families as students work with advanced technology and theories. Mamdani himself attended one such high school, Bronx High School of Science in Kingsbridge Heights.” 

To gain admission, gifted and talented students are required to “work extraordinarily hard,” Turley explains, adding, “What is merit to some is privilege or racism to others.” 

“Rather than fight to keep the most motivated and successful students in the public school system, (Mamdani) is effectively going to chop off the top ten percent. He is following in the footsteps of a disastrous plan under former Mayor Bill de Blasio that later had to be rescinded.” 

Such policies have far-reaching consequences for the students who would be cut from these opportunities to advance in their elementary years, Turley argues. 

“If expanded from these lower grades, Mamdani’s plan would eliminate the prospect of students being able to work at the highest possible levels in the New York school system. New York offers all students the opportunity to undertake advanced work if they work hard enough to gain admission. That includes non-white students who can find opportunities for elite colleges and jobs through such programs. The early grades are a critical period for such students who show extraordinary talents to develop those skills.” 

Not only students, but also teachers will suffer from the removal of these programs, according to Turley. 

“They will now be faced with students who require a far more intense level of instruction to progress. With a few gifted and talented students in a class, it is more likely that they will teach to the majority and leave the advanced students stagnating.” 

In his conclusion, Turley warns the nation is already witnessing a “dumbing down of our public schools” at the higher education level. 

“Recently, Harvard had to offer courses on basic high-school math for its students, who were found unable to do college-level work. For many, the solution is not to eliminate programs for advanced students, but to elevate the rest of the school system to proficiency levels.”