AM update, G+T
The NYT story that was on line last night made today’s front page, and a reader wrote in to mention Merideth Kolodner’s coverage in the News.
The apparent under-enrollment in G+T classes stands in sharp counterpoint to consistent overcrowding in the city’s schools; read more here, or read the complete report for yourself. The DOE’s much-anticipated new, 5-year capital plan will be presented next month; how the Department plans to address overcrowding and underenrollment (in G+T and in universal preK, where thousands of seats remain open, until tomorrow) will be of primary interest.
A number of us in Brooklyn spent a good part of last year challenging all the changes to the G&T. At least we got the chancellor to allow the top 90% of the students to be eligilbe It now appears that the DOE will further restrict the G&T programs in middle school like barring inter district applications which is absurd. We need to coalesce and demand that the DOE stop tinkering with what works.
Comment by Dr. Monty Weinstein — October 30, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Dr. Weinstein, thank you for your comment, and a quick question for you: When you say “it now appears that the DOE will further restrict the G+T programs in middle school,” if you’ve read or heard something to this effect, please let us know — we’re not aware of actual barriers to inter-district applications although anecdotally, I’ve heard of strong discouragements, etc. If you have any details you can forward or share, thanks in advance, and glad to pursue.
Comment by helen — October 30, 2008 @ 2:09 pm
The inter-district restriction may not be a citywide policy, but it is still real. It is a fact that Bay Academy is no longer accepting applications from outside of District 21. For several years no District 15 applications were accepted at District 2 Middle Schools (this wasn’t a stated policy, just a reality) and I am sure that there are many other cases.
Comment by Joyce Szuflita — October 31, 2008 @ 10:02 am
I just posted this on a different thread but it is also worth posting here..
.I currently have a child in K in a district G&T program. Therefore I just went through the G&T process. Although my child scored in the 99% there were too few seats available in citywide programs and we received a district G&T placement. When we ranked schools, our 1st ranking was a citywide. THERE WAS NO WAITLIST! Had a seat become available in this citywide program (if a family moved or chose private school over their received DOE placement) we would never have known due to the fact the there was no waitlist. There are empty seats in the district G&T programs because the DOE refuses to have a waitlist. The DOE policy of “you accept what you get or reject your given placement” is why there are empty seats in the G&T programs. It’s a shame. But, this is how the DOE has chosen to handle it. They should consider changing their tune and actually HAVE a waitlist for the 2008-2009 admissions process.
Comment by Anonymous — November 12, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
The commonality in “educational” administration of the various selective programs is absence of or vague rules, violation of published rules, and little regard for the customer, ie, the student. Educational is in quotes because the top administrator is in fact not an educator by training or experience. (And they bristle at criticism.)
Comment by Michael Blatt — November 25, 2008 @ 5:47 pm