New York City public schools gifted programs have been criticized for their lack of diversity, prompting action for considerable removal. One proposal aims to eliminate these programs in all New York City schools in order to reduce the racial inequality that currently exists within the system. By doing this, the proponents of the proposal believe it can make all students feel like they have the same opportunities available to them. 

Resources for gifted programs are often better and in higher supply. Getting rid of these programs could remove these valuable resources from schools. Removing gifted programs may very well help the issue of inequality in schools, but this approach does not tackle the actual problem. Instead of this, we should direct our attention toward keeping these resources, but eliminating the stigma around gifted programs and finding less drastic ways to combat racial inequality. Removing these programs from schools is ignoring the larger systemic issue of racial inequality in public schools. This seems like more of a quick fix to something that will actually take years to mend. 

Our attention should instead be focused on improving the situation with long-term change that will give equal chances to everyone. Perhaps schools should focus on implementing programs that aim to educate students on racial inequality, allowing for them to take action and prevent instances that leave students feeling left out.