Bed-Stuy To Hold Hearing On Education For Gifted Students

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. together will host a series of public hearings on their recently announced Gifted & Talented Task Force to discuss issues surrounding the concepts of gifted and talented kids and the educations they should receive in New York City public schools.

The task force is made up of both borough presidents and three parent leaders from each borough. Adams appointed Nikki Lucas from Brooklyn, a parent at JHS 88 Peter Rouget; Melanie Mendonca, president of Community Education Council (CEC) District 23; and Ralph Yozzo, a member of CEC District 16. The task force is poised to release a set of recommendations for the future of gifted education NYC.

Adams and Diaz Jr. have both spoken out about the disadvantages that gifted kids in Central Brooklyn and the Bronx have compared to their counterparts in wealthier parts of the city.

“I look forward to hearing a diverse set of voices at our gifted and talented education hearings in the Bronx and Brooklyn,” Adams said. "This input will be integral to shifting the delivery of specialized instruction in our city, as we push for reforms that gives every child high-quality opportunities in a more equitable and prosperous system.”

"Students all over this city have for too long been denied the opportunities to which they are entitled when it comes to gifted education,” Diaz Jr. said. "Through these hearings, we are hoping to hear directly from parents, educators and other stakeholders about the challenges and successes they have experienced with the public school system, and we will use this information to craft positive changes on gifted education, test prep and other resources that our students deserve to have equal access to."

The first public hearing will take place in Brooklyn on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, at 1368 Fulton St. The Bronx will host a second hearing on Monday, March 20, 2017, at the Bronx High School of Science, at 75 West 205th St. Both hearings will go from 6 — 8 p.m.

A flyer for the hearings can be viewed at http://on.nyc.gov/2m4iOBC.

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