My field study was conducted at the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars (T.A.G.) Middle School located in the East Harlem section of Manhattan. T.A.G. is a selective public school, governed by the NYC Department of Education. It was founded in 1989 as a magnet program within the school system’s District 4, and became an independent K-8 gifted and talented school in 2004. T.A.G. is one of only three gifted and talented programs in New York City. It serves students identified with gifted abilities in grades K-8. Children are admitted to kindergarten through 2nd grade based on their scores on two tests, the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA). Children whose scores put them in the 97th percentile nationally are eligible. There are a handful of seats open in the upper grades. Middle school admission is based on grades, standardized test scores and teacher recommendations. There are approximately 500 students comprised mainly of African-American, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, reportedly only 2% of the student body is Caucasian. Each grade level has two classes of up to 25 students each. The school is located in a building that houses four other mini schools, a common practice in schools these days. For instance the high school I attended has been divided into five different high schools.
T.A.G. is located in a community which could be described as a lower socioeconomic area, 36% of the children live in poverty. A majority of the students, approximately 63% are on free or reduced lunch. TAG serves a predominately minority, working-class population, mostly from Upper Manhattan, the Bronx and nearby parts of Queens.
The students' standardized exam scores are consistently strong, with 92% scoring at or above grade level in ELA and 97% in Math during the 2008-2009 school year. 8th graders take Regents exams in Science, Social Studies, Math, and Spanish.
I observed the sixth,