Zohran Mamdani built his career railing against privilege, but he is a walking advertisement for it. The self-described socialist and New York City mayoral front-runner has vowed to eliminate the city’s Gifted & Talented program at the kindergarten level if elected, offering fewer opportunities to some of the city’s most marginalized students, all in the name of “equity.”
The program, which offers accelerated instruction to eligible elementary school students, would not be open to kindergarteners next fall under a Mamdani administration, the campaign told the New York Times earlier this month. The move continues a 2021 policy when then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to phase out the Gifted and Talented program, which Mayor Eric Adams reversed upon taking office.
Because enrollment in the city’s G&T program is made up largely of white and Asian students, critics have described it as racially inequitable or segregationist. Still, it remains highly sought after by families across the city. Each year, thousands of students qualify for the program, but limited space means many are not offered placement.
THE REHABILITATION OF MARXISM IS CHANGING AMERICAN POLITICS
Under Mamdani’s plan, G&T classes would begin in third grade but be eliminated in kindergarten through second grade. This move would likely be his first step in a broader effort to dismantle advanced learning opportunities citywide, consistent with his past remarks criticizing admissions at the city’s specialized high schools.
The idea is integral to the socialist playbook: demonize merit by calling it segregation. But the 33-year-old mayoral hopeful was educated in New York City’s most exclusive specialized schools that exemplify the very selectivity he now condemns.
He attended the Bank Street School on the Upper West Side, known for its steep tuition and elite reputation, and later the Bronx High School of Science, a public specialized STEM high school that admits students based on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. Admission is highly competitive. Among the class of 2024, approximately 30,000 eighth graders took the exam, but only 750 spots were available.
In 2022, Mamdani called for the elimination of the SHSAT, which he has since walked back, presumably to win back the city’s Asian-American vote. At the time, he took the self-flagellating stance, stating: “As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high schools. I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT.”
He also previously said he supported an independent analysis of the SHSAT for gender and racial bias and backed the recommendations of the 2019 School Diversity Advisory Group report to address what he described as a highly segregated school system.
The group recommended eliminating most gifted programs and screened admissions in the city, which they argued rely on the “exclusionary use” of “school screens such as grades, test scores, auditions, interviews, behavior, lateness, and attendance” as admissions criteria, contributing to segregation and inequity in New York City schools.
Even if Mamdani insists he’s softened his stance on the admissions test, his plan to scrap early elementary honors is the first step toward dismantling excellence and lowering academic standards for New York City’s top students.
Some changes are already underway. In 2021, New York City altered the admissions process for the early elementary G&T programs, ending the use of the traditional standardized tests. Instead, students in public school pre-K programs now qualify based on teacher evaluations.
While there is high demand for the G&T programs, a recent study conducted by NYC Public Schools found that the top reason parents chose to withdraw their children or enroll them in charter or private schools instead of NYCPS was to seek a more rigorous education than they believed the city system could provide. The second most common reason, cited by 40% of respondents, was plans to move out of New York City.
Getting rid of G&T programs and potentially scrapping merit-based admissions would undermine academic rigor and limit opportunity among all students.
Wealthier families will seek more academic rigor by pulling their children out of public schools and opting for charter or private schools. The most affected will be the poorest students, who can’t afford private school and, ironically, are the very students Mamdani says he wants to help.
Put simply, the crown jewel of New York City’s public schools is under threat with Mamdani in power. Families with resources will vote with their feet and pocketbooks, while those without will be left behind, stripped of the very opportunities that could help them rise. If Mamdani wins, excellence will be lost, and New York’s children will be the victims.
Kendall Tietz is an Investigative Reporter at Defending Education.
