[Zhang Fei]

The gifted programs are BS. Beethoven and Mozart were gifted. The typical kids in these programs are brighter than average, but in no way gifted. What they really are is a way to implement a limited form of tracking, where bright kids are in the same class with other bright kids and the dumb kids are with other dumb kids. The idea being that teachers can explore more advanced material in classes full of bright kids while slowing down with classes full of dumb kids.

[sphinx]

True. Tracking is the solution to restoring academic excellence in large public school systems. The problem is that any form of tracking based on objective standards of excellence has politically unacceptable correlates.

It is easier to destroy than to create. If successful, De Blasio may well destroy NYC public schools' oases of excellence. Some parents will shift to private schools. Others will move.

[hanamizu]

The gifted programs are BS. Beethoven and Mozart were gifted. The typical kids in these programs are brighter than average, but in no way gifted.

---

If your definition of ‘gifted’ is Beethoven, Mozart (or Einstein) then I guess you are right. But kids with IQs of say 130 are in a different league than those who average 100 and forget about the kids with IQs of 85 or thereabouts.

Low IQ kids are showered with services. In fact, by law, they are at the front of the line when it comes to public education. Their needs come first, and if average kids’ needs have to be shortchanged, so be it.

Gifted programs are considered a luxury by most school districts and they can be cut with no official consequences. While not gifted by your standard, they are outstanding and will, if encouraged, contribute to the world in many ways.

I’ve had the good fortune to teach a few of these kids over my career. They are a joy to teach because they nearly always want more. If they are sitting in a class of below average students they are forced to ignore what is going on around them while the teacher is busy trying to control behavior rather than actually teach.

I always tried to aim my lessons towards the brightest rather than the average. That way every kid got exposed to somewhat advanced material. That made it hard on the slower kids but how else do they hope to catch up?

[9YearLurker]

If you don’t track students you either are grievously slowing down the bright kids of grievously teaching over the head of the not-bright kids.

[Jeff Chandler]

Gifted children do need more challenging work in an environment where they are allowed to succeed. That environment could be in regular classrooms if rules of conduct were enforced.

[sphinx]

At some point, the left will go after private schools and homeschools as well, to eliminate the last escape hatches.