The strong policy focus on struggling students shortchanges the gifted students in Georgia schools
Folks, To quote my colleague Jim Galloway, I have “gone fishing” this week. (I have actually gone hiking.)
I will have no computer access, but am posting some great stuff in advance, including this essay by Gyimah Whitaker, president of the Georgia Association for Gifted Children, and Ann Robinson, president of the National Association for Gifted Children. It runs on the Monday education op-ed page.
I will be back online on the 19th.
By Gyimah Whitaker and Ann Robinson
Children across Georgia are now back to school. For some students, the return to school felt like a burden, a necessary chore they have to slog through every day, but not for the reasons you might expect.
Rather than viewing school as an unhappy departure from carefree summer days, many of the most disinterested students in a classroom are also the high-ability children who spend the bulk of their school days going unchallenged and largely ignored.
Our nation’s education system has a long history of disregarding the needs of gifted and talented students, a neglect that threatens the ability of our state and nation to compete in an increasingly competitive world.
From being regularly outperformed by global counterparts on standardized tests to needing to import a growing number of workers in math and science fields, it is clear decades of neglect are causing the country real harm.
The core problem is that our nation lacks a comprehensive gifted education strategy.
With little to no federal influence and funding, the burden falls to states and local districts. The result is a patchwork of regulations and policies, producing pockets of success few and far between.
Without strong and stable infrastructure, these programs are extremely vulnerable during challenging financial times like this, where educations budgets are being slashed significantly.
Georgia is better than most states at serving gifted students, and yet it still falls short of where it should be.While the state provides some funding to support gifted learners, the reality is that in many corners of the state – particularly systems in poorer and rural areas – these services are bare-bones or nonexistent.
The absence of any focus on gifted students through the Investing in Educational Excellence and within charter schools jeopardizes the protections that are now in place and that have been in the works for the past 50 years.
Despite decades of dire predictions now coming true, our law – and policymakers have been largely apathetic.
The impact of this complacency is visible throughout much of our national education system, which focuses primarily on preventing struggling students from failing by setting proficiency as a primary goal.
While it is vital to ensure that all students are accomplishing baseline concepts and skills, the programs and funding currently available encourage educators and administrators to focus almost exclusively on students who struggle to get by while ignoring those seeking more academic challenge.
The solution to this problem is comprehensive reform that recognizes our nation has an obligation to invest in our most promising students and that our long-term stability and prosperity depends on reigniting this commitment to excellence.
At its core, this solution must begin with an unflinching commitment to identify all students who are gifted regardless of what they look like, how much money their parents earn or whether they live in Hahira or Atlanta.
Educators must cast a wide net for talent and must begin this search at the earliest possible levels to ensure those students who are gifted receive the supports they need from day one.
The solution must recognize the fundamental truth that quality gifted instruction depends on qualified teachers who have received specialized training to meet the unique needs of gifted students.
Very few states, Georgia included, require all teachers to have any training in gifted education. This must change through a combination of revisions to state licensure laws and collaboration with our colleges of education to develop and offer gifted-education focused courses for all of our future teachers.
It is important to note that low-cost and creative answers can be deployed to address parts of the problem.
For example, here in Georgia, current state policy does not permit early entrance into kindergarten, potentially stunting the growth of our youngest minds.
The state can abolish this restriction and align Georgia with most other states by allowing local districts to use tests and other measures to determine if a child is ready for kindergarten.
Similarly, Georgia can amend its policy that requires students to be age 16 or in the 11th grade before they can take college courses for high school credit to permit similar opportunities for younger students.And if our education policymakers and lawmakers are truly interested in excellence, it is essential that they ensure every single IE2 partnership contract and charter include service and supports for our most promising students.
Failure to invest in our gifted learners is a failure to invest in our future.
Let’s hope the start of next school year will be brighter for our most promising students.
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123 comments Add your comment
Attentive Parent
September 12th, 2010
8:22 am
The Common Core Standards Georgia has adopted may affect the ability of Fulton and other school districts to accelerate math proficient or prodigy kids.
The high school math appendix has everyone learning the same material and the most able would cover 3 years of math content over 2 years in middle school to get on a Calc in high school track. High school describes essentially the same math courses for all through an Algebra 2 level with the only question being which grade it is taken in.
Teachers and parents-please be asking your school board candidates and any candidates for governor or state ed super you can write or speak to whether we are moving away from honors classes in high school pursuant to federal edict under Race to the Top.
South Ga Teacher180
September 12th, 2010
9:13 am
You can thank the Urban Education Agenda for killing gifted ed.
South Ga Teacher180
September 12th, 2010
9:18 am
If you recall in the article, that gifted ed in the rural areas is almost non-existent that is because the focus in on Cobb and Gwinnett, not Ware, Charlton, Twiggs, Baker, etc….Urban Ed to the rescue.
It is almost as if these think tanks want to destroy rural areas….just a thought.
DunMoody
September 12th, 2010
9:21 am
It’s amazing how very inconsistent Georgia’s delivery of gifted education has become. And how politicized the education system truly is. Now I appreciate how very fortunate my family is to have our children in Peachtree Charter Middle School, whose charter (recently approved) included the goal of having every teacher in the building certified in gifted education, where all four of their core academic classes are fully gifted classes – every day and all year – and where the bar is set pretty high for them in their classes so their achievements are pushed upward, not laterally. With this special certification, the expectation is that teachers will utilize the same strategies and pedagogy for the benefit of students of ALL learning abilities. In this first year of the new initiative, I can see the need for some in-house training and mixing of academic teaching teams to “share the wealth,” but for the long range benefit of middle school education in our community, this is a good thing.
Angela
September 12th, 2010
11:26 am
ElemPal,
Well Dumb A–,
I copied and pasted from the GDOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angela
September 12th, 2010
11:30 am
ElemPal,
You sure do spend a lot of time correcting me. With LOVE like that I will never ever be alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
catlady
September 12th, 2010
4:23 pm
My children were in school in Tallahassee for a couple of years while I was in a master’s program, and I liked the model they used for gifted elementary kids. They got a special class each day, and twice a week went half day to a college campus for special instruction. It was there that my 8 year old got a modified chemistry course and a course in music annotation. Especially considering the study of gifted program at UGa, my experience in Georgia is that we are far from adequately serving the gifted. (This is only my experience). When we were in Athens, my kids did get to take absolutely terrific courses in the summer through the gifted program at UGa. Other than that, not so much at all.
Concerned 1
September 12th, 2010
4:37 pm
The more I read these posts, the more I realize that there is no cure all for education in the city of Atlanta. The Teach for America person who took my place is lamenting because each of her AP classes has 35+ students. Welcome to my old world. There are not that many gifted students in that urban high school that has not made AYP in the last several years. Only the most serious and highly qualified students should be there and the class size should be 20 or less. I can’t advocate for you kid, sorry!
Dr NO
September 12th, 2010
7:07 pm
Once again the talented and gifted students must pay the price for those who are willing to do nothing but disrupt class, cut class, have sex in the bathrooms and other such nonsense.
These very ideas have been fostered for years by the democrats who want to do nothing more than raise a society of stupid fools who rely on the govt to think for them and do for them. Only problem is the democrats are so stupid they are unwilling to recognize its the democratic party and jerkoffs like Obama, Jesse, Al, Useless Lowery and the like are the ones “keepin them down”.
Put your talented kids in private schools is the best move as it will keep them away from little idiots like little PBMs.
AHHH HAHAHAHAAAA!!!
Attentive Parent
September 12th, 2010
9:13 pm
Concerned raises an important issue. With the emphasis on taking AP classes and the US Dept of Justice threatening school systems throughout the country where the percentage of minority students in the school is disproportionate to who is taking honors and AP classes, what does this mean for the content of the courses?
Should this be a civil rights issue?
How can these courses function at the called-for high level if they are equal access and we also care about graduation results?
Attentive Parent
September 12th, 2010
9:15 pm
What happened to AP being about “Do you have the foundation and are you ready to apply it beyond your wildest nightmare”?
another comment
September 12th, 2010
11:26 pm
Last year when I transferred out of Private into a Cobb Public school due to the economy my 4th grader was not put into “Target” the gifted program because she had missed the testing in 3rd grade. Her high 90+ % ITBS were provided from the old school. After a month, we were told she would be pulled out once a week and put with the Gifted teacher for “STARS”. But then right after Christmas break we got a letter that due to budget contraints they had to cut the “STARS” program.
This makes absolutely no sense to cut out the programs for the best and brightest. Instead she was harrassed and picked on by a threesome in the class who probably had a combined IQ of 70. Why do they pick on kids like her, because they have issues.
Lee
September 13th, 2010
7:12 am
“With the emphasis on taking AP classes and the US Dept of Justice threatening school systems throughout the country where the percentage of minority students in the school is disproportionate to who is taking honors and AP classes, what does this mean for the content of the courses? Should this be a civil rights issue?”
I believe the AJC ran some articles a few years ago about the racial makeup of “gifted” classes. Basically, the politically correct pathogens at the AJC didn’t like it because blacks were underrepresented.
For the past sixty years, the “equal outcomes” crowd has ignored the IQ distribution among the races and insisted that all children are thrown into one big teeming melting pot of a classroom. The end result is that K-8 public education severely underserves the above average student. It is only in high school that they may begin to segregate themselves by ability in the AP and Honors level classes.
Too little, too late, IMHO.
Lester
September 13th, 2010
10:46 am
bk5
September 11th, 2010
12:59 pm
jbstoner, you are highly opinionated and rude about a topic you don’t appear to be knowledgeable about! Get off this blog!
To bk5 – Everything J. B. Stoner has said is the truth……You’re just too liberal to hear it.
You rock JB – see ‘ya on 11/2
wolf
September 13th, 2010
11:33 am
We will continue to have this argument as long as special needs children are required to take the CRCT, and any other standardized testing. We will continue to have this argument as long as we make demands upon special needs children that they cannot live up to. I have a special needs child. Some of the grade level work he is given is patently absurd, given his challenges; but my only other option is a setting for children with far more extreme mental disabilities.
It is time that we realized that “No Child Left Behind” is really a “One Size Fits All”; it is time we started thinking out of the box and providing an appropriate education to everyone.
Booklover
September 13th, 2010
1:15 pm
I’m sure someone already mentioned this, but… gifted education is technically “special education.” Unfortunately, I know of no GA district that spends nearly the money on gifted education as it spends on the rest of special education. I realize that students with special needs deserve special assistance; however, gifted students are also special needs. Where are the lawsuits? Where are the activists for gifted students?
The sad fact of the matter is that most teachers are so bogged down with IEP, SST, RTI, CYA paperwork that we don’t have time to cobble together “gifted” opportunities… thank goodness most gifted kids at my school are in honors or AP classes where they can at least be offered some education approximating their needs.
Booklover
September 13th, 2010
2:13 pm
Ability grouping: I agree that we need to get back to ability grouping and special education pull-outs at ALL grade levels. This one-size-fits-all, NCLB garbage is destroying education.
The teacher who teaches the moderately intellectually disabled class used to spend her time teaching her students practical life skills…now she teaches them acids and bases, WWII history, etc. When she tests them, they have retained very little, because guess what? They are intellectually disabled. They don’t function at the same level–that’s what special education MEANS!
Get back to life skills and basic education for the special education kids, regular education, and gifted education. Break kids up by ability. I would rather have a class of 32 “below-average” students than 25 students of various abilities, because that’s when you get kids left behind.
Georgia Teacher
September 14th, 2010
6:14 am
Gifted students are really shortchanged at our school. In the last couple of years when other students have gotten new books and teachers have gotten new resources, our school system bought new books for everyone except gifted students and teachers. Our gifted students are constantly shortchanged. One time when we did get some new books, the books were taken back and given to the special education students supposedly because the gifted students would do well on the test no matter what.
Being a gifted student in our school system means you get the leftovers. The entire focus of our school system is on students with disabilities.
mystery poster
September 14th, 2010
1:25 pm
There was an article in TIME magazine a year or so ago, and it said that most HS dropouts are actually gifted students who are bored to tears in school because they are not challenged.
sloboffthestreet
September 14th, 2010
7:14 pm
2+2=4 It worked then and it works now. They are all gifted. They just aren’t all the teachers kids, or property of one of the Stepford Wives.
A Nation Deceived
September 15th, 2010
8:26 am
You do not know what you are talking about sloboffthestreet. No, they are not all gifted. That said, every student deserves to learn something everyday in school. The gifted are being short-changed, ignored, or just used as teaching assistants. This is not fair to them, nor is it fair to the rest of the class. Research has shown that if a gifted child is removed from the heterogeneous class, the teacher can better tailor her/his lessons to a more homogeneous group and a new “leader” will emerge from the student population. We’re so worried about self esteem. Well, why don’t we group by abilities so non-gifted students can escape from the shadow of the gifted? Why aren’t we grouping by ability so every student can be challenged and feel a sense of accomplishment?
Mystery Poster is correct. The TIME magazine article and subsequent research has shown that over a quarter of HS dropouts test in the gifted range (two standard deviations above normal IQ). They simply check themselves out rather than suffer the drudgery of school. What an absolute waste, but I can’t really blame them.
MB
September 15th, 2010
10:15 pm
The Time article from three years ago – just think how much funding has declined since then (except for IDEA and Title I, anyway….):
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.htm
Mike Bishop
September 16th, 2010
11:17 pm
Gifted students are often overlooked- but the law requires an appropriate education for all. In my private practice I hear the same story too many times, parents wait for months if not an entire school year to get their child tested for services. http://www.tampaflpsychologist.com/