Mark Treyger Shouldn’t Speak about Gifted Education
I haven’t written about this topic because I was waiting for the Dept of Education to come out with its plan. Carmen Farina was a very good Chancellor. She started many programs and NYC and improved education for children. When a new chancellor came in, he will want to make his changes to help the city. I was waiting for this leader to say “Here’s how we are going to make gifted education more inclusive” and “Parents, wait to see the programs we are going to put into all the schools….” But that didn’t happen because….
Mayor de Blasio’s School Diversity Advisory Group spoke out about gifted education this week.
When there are few black and brown students in gifted programs, their plan has to be to increase special programs for these students. (“Black and Hispanic students constituted 65% of New York City’s public kindergarten students in 2017-18, but made up just 18% of students offered gifted and talented slots.” Source)
The advisory group made some good recommendations, but their delivery wasn’t good. And the newspapers headlines made it sound like Gifted Education was being dismantled – which it isn’t. See here
Then politicians jumped into the mix. Mark Treyger, head of the Education Council at City Hall talked wrote that he wasn’t part of gifted education while he was a teacher in NYC. There’s gifted children in every school, so why did Treyger say that.
Mark Treyger shared some interesting information that I didn’t know….nor does most of NYC.
Mark Treyger wrote: “Sixty Gifted & Talented programs, mostly in black/brown communities, closed in 2009-2013 due to Bloomberg policy changes. Expanding G&T in current form will mirror problems at specialized high schools.” If I could find his quote, I will link it hear, but I think he deleted it.
If Mark Treyger knew that children in some communities weren’t receiving “special education,” (people often forget that gifted education is part of special ed), why didn’t he do something to start them up again this September? As head of education for NYC Council, when he saw this deficit, why didn’t he make that recommendation?
When people who have been elected to lead KNOW that resources are not equal for children, why wouldn’t they do something about it IMMEDIATELY?
Republican politicians didn’t miss a beat and come out against the plan. They knew few people would read the headlines and not the advisory committee’s report. Parents came out on social media and supported the Republicans because they want better programs for their children……then Mark Treyger cried that people were being divisive. (I don’t see that entry on his facebook page, but he used the word divisive). Nicole Malliotakis is usually a step behind on topics – not this time! She didn’t miss a beat in writing a letter and getting all her colleagues to sign it.
Instead we have children and parents fighting for these programs because they want access to a good education….and they are relying on educators to be the experts. Mark Treyger is a former educator, but this is just another topic for him to play politics.
Leaders should have been looking at what works at these gifted programs and reproduce it all over the city, starting where there are no programs. (Seriously, how dare they not have programs for gifted children all over the city). Treyger should have announced NYC Council would be implementing programs in schools that didn’t have any starting this Fall, but he didn’t do anything except throw out some rhetoric and make it an issue with Republicans.
City Council Member. Robert Cornegy Jr knows why we have this problem and he spoke confidently about turning it around. (See video here) That’s what leadership looks like! Robert Cornegy should be in charge of this for City Council because he has a positive outlook and isn’t playing politics.
Update September 3rd: Now Treyger is on the News talking about it. DAYS LATER?? His voice should have been the first we heard from.
Hugs,
marlene
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