It was evident from the small turnout that important information is not getting to parents. Under Mayoral Control parent involvement went from high parental involvement to the low point it is at now. Parents just are not getting vital information they should be receiving and this was said by many of the speakers at the hearing.
What was also learned was that Staten Island with only one school district serving about one third the students of the Bronx has the same number of gifted and talented programs as the six Bronx school districts. Bronx School districts 7 and 12 have no gifted and talented programs while the other four Bronx School districts have only two programs each including School District 10 the largest school district in the city (and second largest in the state) serving over forty-five thousand students. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said that he was enrolled in what was called a 'Special Program' for gifted and talented students while he attend public school, and it is his intention that all children get a chance to be in such programs like he did.
Above and Below - One by one sixteen people spoke about their personal experiences with trying to get into a Gifted and Talented program, the lack of information about Gifted and Talented programs by the DOE, the lack of the programs or even other information about the DOE and Gifted and Talented programs. One speake wanted to know why Staten Island with only one school district has the same number of Gifted and Talented programs as the six Bronx school districts.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and their education advocates listen to the speakers asking many to see their aides to get the information the speakers need and so that the BP's can know all the problems facing parents in getting their children Gifted and Talented programs or why they can't.
