Distinguishing Where Their Children Belong: Parents’ Perceptions of the Boundaries Separating “Gifted” and “Nongifted” Educational Programs

• In Event: The Unintended Impact of Education Policy Implementation

Abstract

Historically, in the New York City school system, Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs, which enroll students based on a single score on a standardized test, start as early as kindergarten and tend to result in racial and socio-economic segregation between academic tracks. This study examines parents’ perceptions of the boundaries separating the G&T and General Education programs, in order to understand how they distinguish where their children belong. For parents, which program their child is in becomes a symbol of different lifestyles, opportunities and privilege. This critical examination can help educational researchers understand the multiple ways that parents interact with school policies and practices in a manner that consistently leads to social reproduction and within school segregation.

Author

• Allison Roda, Teachers College, Columbia University