COURIER L 30 IFE, SEPT. 6-12, 2019
EDITORIAL
Stopping the city school brain drain
For decades, the “gifted and talented”
program has given some of
the sharpest young minds in the
New York City public school system a
chance to challenge themselves, hone
their skills and cultivate their minds
to their fullest potential.
But if a group of education reformers
whispering in the ears of Mayor
Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor
Richard Carranza have it their way,
the gifted and talented program will
soon be a thing of the past.
The School Diversity Advisory
Group recommended last month that
the Department of Education (DOE)
dismiss the program in the name of
equality. They claim that the screening
system in place disproportionately
leaves out students of color, and
contributes to segregation in the nation’s
largest public school district.
But the group’s assertion that the
gifted and talented program, by itself,
is the cause of segregation is a
deeply fl awed argument. It’s also the
same argument made by those seeking
to eliminate entrance exams for
the city’s specialized high schools, for
the very same reason: a lack of equality
and opportunity for all.
Make no mistake, there is a troubling
lack of equality and opportunity
in New York City public school
education. A shameful segregation
indeed persists to this day in classrooms
across the most progressive
city in America.
But specialized education programs
or standardized tests are not
to blame for this condition. Decades
of failed education policy in New York
City, rather, have left behind public
school students across the city.
Simply put, this city has not invested
enough in its future. It has not
provided enough resources to public
schools in every corner of every borough
to operate at its optimum level.
It has not provided enough in the
way of after-school educational programs
and free tutoring for students
to achieve high marks and qualify for
specialized schools or the gifted and
talented program.
To turn things around and truly
open up opportunity for all public
school students, we need to invest in
them. That costs billions of our taxpayer
dollars, of course, and requires
a steady amount of work to ensure
that everything goes according to
plan.
In short, it’s hard. It requires
work, patience and diligence. It’s not
an easy remedy. But it just so happens
to be the right one.
Getting rid of programs such as
gifted and talented risks a tremendous
brain drain in New York. If the
city cannot help its sharpest young
minds reach their full potential, and
if the city cannot help all of its students
reach their full potential, they
will wither away from boredom and
neglect.
Likewise, if the city cannot solve
its segregation problem without investing
in better schools, better teachers
and better programs for all its
students, it should expect more of the
same, regardless of reforms made.
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor
Carranza must do the right thing, for
once, and invest in the city’s future,
rather than tear it down.
Getting rid of programs such as gifted and talented risks a tremendous brain drain in New
York. Getty Images
OPINION
Every year for the last 32
years, thousands of people
from the New York City
Caribbean community descend
on Brooklyn for J’Ouvert and
the West Indian Day Parade.
It’s a morning and afternoon
that displays the amazing multicultural
experience of this
great city, a joyous day of dancing,
extravagant costumes, and
bringing people together.
But year after year a narrative
is created around J’Ouvert
that focuses on violence and a
need to put an end to this important
tradition. We see columns
with sensationalist headlines
like “J’Ouvert could be a recipe
for bloodshed,” that try to push
that storyline and do little to fi x
past issues.
Many of these articles
sound as if they are hoping for
violence. Hoping for an incident
that will give them an excuse
to cancel this event and
put an end to it. Instead of trying
to breakdown and demonize
this event, we should be
working to bring our communities
together and look toward
fi nding solutions to any issues
that may come up.
It is undeniable that in years
past there have been unfortunate
incidents of violence associated
with this celebratory
day. Bad actors can infi ltrate
any large gathering of people,
and in the past, some managed
to attract the spotlight during
J’Ouvert.
But we have worked incredibly
hard with community
groups, the NYPD, and other
stakeholders to ensure a safe
event focused on the tradition
that J’Ouvert is about. We have
been able to ensure a safe event
focused on the tradition it is
meant to be about.
This year, we once again
didn’t see the violence that
we are constantly told to expect.
We saw that hard work
be successful with an event
that brought our communities
together and will help ensure
that this important tradition
remains alive and well in our
borough.
A large part of that success
also comes from our District
Despite tragic incidents in years past, an increase in security has helped ensure that the J’Ouvert festival
remains safe and focused on tradition. Photo by Jon Farina
Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
His approach to policing
has created an environment
that fosters a better relationship
between police and our
communities. The hands-on
approach he has taken to reforming
our criminal justice
system so that it is fair and just
will help to continue to keep
the crime rate low while keeping
innocent young people out
of our jail system.
It’s easy to throw around irresponsible
rhetoric about an
event some people know little
about. It’s harder to actually
go out there and do something
about it. But that’s what we
have done and that’s what we
will continue to do, alongside
those in the community who
actually want to make that difference.
It’s that kind of coming together
that makes this great
multicultural city and borough
such an incredible place
to live.
Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley
represents the 57th Assembly
District, encompassing the
neighborhoods of Fort Greene,
Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights
and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant
and Crown Heights.