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by Aurornis 206 days ago
It’s been his statement all over: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/nyregion/mamdani-schools-...

The phase out starts with kindergarten and “early grades”. In some places he’s said up through second grade which some assume is an upper limit, but really it’s just the natural length of phasing out gifted programs one year at a time over the 4-year course of a mayoral term due to the necessary delays to eliminate the program after his election date (kindergarten next school year, then 1st grade the next, then 2nd grade)
2 comments
triceratops 206 days ago
Assuming he wants to eliminate all gifted programs because he said he wants to eliminate some of them is a type of ZDS. You also edited your earlier comment to say

> You disallow it for new kindergarten students one season, then next year remove it from 1st grade so they can’t go into accelerated programs and so on

I don't know how it works in NYC now, but it doesn't have to be like that. When I went to school you could always get into the gifted program at the beginning of any school year if your teacher put you up for it. You didn't have to be in the program since kindergarten.

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Aurornis 206 days ago
> I don't know how it works in NYC now, but it doesn't have to be like that. When I went to school you could always get into the gifted program at the beginning of any school year if your teacher put you up for it. You didn't have to be in the program since kindergarten.

Sorry, I should have been more clear.

The gifted program for kindergarten will be eliminated in the first year of the phaseout.

The following year it will also be eliminated for first grade.

The following year it will be eliminated for second grade as well.

This is the phase out. Students who start in kindergarten next year won’t have the option of the gifted program because it will be eliminated for the following grade every year.

It doesn’t matter that they didn’t get into it in Kindergarten because it won’t exist in 1st grade when they get there, and so on.

It’s not “ZDS”. It’s literally what he’s said.

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triceratops 206 days ago
> and so on.

Up to what grade though? The article you provided says Mamdani supports gifted programs starting in the 3rd grade. That's different from your original assertion that he's "[phasing out] gifted education programs", implying that they would end completely for everyone.

My original understanding was it was kindergarten only and that was inaccurate. He's following a plan proposed by de Blasio, which I didn't know about, that's phasing it out up to the 2nd grade. Extrapolating from that to "Mamdani will remove all gifted education" is the ZDS I'm referring to.

I agree with you overall about the value of gifted programs. But it's important to not spiral into hyperbole.

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insane_dreamer 206 days ago
phasing out K-2 gifted programs seems reasonable to me, and in fact beneficial (I say this as a parent of a gifted child)

you're taking a leap to assume that this will lead to the abolishment of gifted programs in the higher grades (where such programs make more sense)

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