Which Students Benefit From New York City’s Gifted and Talented Program?

• In Event: Parent Voice and Student (Dis)Empowerment in School Choice Processes

Abstract

The Gifted and Talented (G&T) program in New York City (NYC) is one of the largest and longest running programs for gifted students in the nation. Yet little is known about its effects on student outcomes. Using student-level administrative data collected on NYC public school students between the years 2010 through 2018, we studied the effects of the G&T program on students' test score performance and attendance. We find that participating in the G&T program significantly increases students’ middle school academic outcomes and slightly increases absences. These effects are most pronounced for Black and Hispanic students. Implications of these findings for education policy- particularly related to new developments in selective school admissions- are discussed.

Author

• Katherine Wilson, University of Pennsylvania