Gifted And Talented To Be Phased Out At Prospect Heights School

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A Prospect Heights elementary school is phasing out its Gifted and Talented program amid concerns about its lack of diversity.

City education officials have given P.S. 9 the final thumbs up to move forward with a plan to stop admissions into the program starting next year.

It won’t affect students currently in or recently accepted into the program. They can remain in it for its kindergarten-through-fifth grade span, the Department of Education said.

“It’s going to be a gradual process,” said Kirsten Cole, co-chair of the school’s equity and diversity committee.

P.S. 9 school leaders originally approved the plan in June. Their decision anticipated a citywide debate over racial and economic representation in classrooms. In August, the mayor-appointed School Diversity Advisory Group recommended all city schools phase out Gifted and Talented programs.

That recommendation aimed to address a disparity displayed in schools across the city — white and Asian students predominantly taking slots in Gifted and Talented tracks.

It’s a disparity at P.S. 9 which has a student body that's racially - and economically - diverse, Cole said.

“The G and T track tends to have more white students, and they’re underrepresented in the general (education) and special ed tracks,” she said. “The reverse is true for black students.”

Cole said officials spent months engaging with the school’s parents and teachers as they crafted a proposal.

Education department spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon said in a statement that city officials will work to smooth out the transition.

“The DOE supports schools in making decisions that benefit their school communities, and PS 9 developed a community-driven proposal to begin the phase in of a school-wide enrichment model for the entire student body starting in the fall,” she wrote.