Talent Factories

Check out this YouTube video.

Dylan William on Remodeling Schools into Talent Factories

 

Comparing academics to sports isn't new to advocates for gifted kids, but William's comments are a good indication that those outside the field also recognize the inequity.    

 

I'm not sure where it came from, but the decades old story told by educators of the gifted goes something like this:

 

So I walked into my high school principal's office and asked for a few minutes of his time.  "I'd like you to consider this proposal," I said.  

 

"I'd like to select a handful of our best students and allow them to work together with specialists in their talent area for 3 or 4 hours each day. Then they could interact with other students with similar interests and abilities. The adults would be good role models, experts who could work individually with the students, perfecting their skills, making sure each is appropriately challenged."

 

"We'll need a big part of the school building for our program.  And lots of specialized equipment.  Probably a budget of $500,000 a year or more."

 

"I'd also like the kids to go to other schools several times a week to interact with and learn from kids just like them.  We'd need busing and chaperones, of course.  And also school logo clothing for each of them would be nice, just to show that we're proud of them and want others to know they're from our school."

 

"As a matter of fact, I think this selection process should begin in elementary school where we'll identify the most promising students and provide year-round programming for them, including summer camps and after school lessons.  That way, by the time they reach high school they will truly be our best and our brightest."

 

"Are you crazy?" he said.  "That would be elitist."

 

"No," I said.  "That would be our athletic program."

 

Go! Fight! Win!
BIG THINKERS

What Jenny Taught Me

Late one night I received a phone call from a frantic dad. 

  

“Mrs. Douglas, would you please talk to Jenny?  She’s been working for hours on her English paper and won’t go to bed until it’s done.”  

 

I couldn’t imagine what the massive assignment could be for this was just the first day of the school year! So when she came to the phone I asked for details.

“Well,” Jenny said, “my teacher said she was going to base our writers’ workshop goals on this first assignment and to write the best essay we could.” 

Ahhhhh!  Perfectionism.  How do we help our gifted kids learn to match their efforts to teachers’ expectations?

As Judy Galbraith wrote in her 8 Great Rights of Gifted Kids:

#4 - You have a right to make mistakes and not do your best all the time.

Common Misconceptions

So many times I've heard people say,

“Teaching gifted kids to self-advocate won’t work because . . . “

1. It would be elitist.
2. If we tell them they’re smart, they’ll just get big heads.
3. They’ll ask for something we can’t offer.
4. We don’t have time.
5. School counselors already do it for all kids.
6. If we do something different when one kid asks, we’ll have to do it for everybody.
7. We’ve never done it before.
8. We don’t do that in our district.

 

 

 There are no excuses.

Whether they're children with disabilities or children with exceptional abilities, all outliers have the right to an appropriately challenging education.

We must help each person find the path that is best for him or her.

Effects of Legislation

According to NAGCs 2010-2011 State of the Nations report,

• Of the 36 reporting states, 10 provided $0 in state funds to support gifted education in 2010-11; another 4 states spent less than $1 million.
• Only 15 states make a greater investment in gifted students by spending $10 million or more in state funds.
• Since the last State of the States report, 14 states have reduced state funding for gifted education.
• In Wisconsin last year, state funding for GT was $263,500, almost $10,000 less than the year before. The amount for 2011-12 is $237,200.  The funds are disbursed through competitive grants and may only be used for learning opportunities not ordinarily provided in the classroom.   There is no federal funding. 

In Wisconsin this loss combined with the reduction in state aid overall has meant a decrease in staffing and/or staff time devoted to GT.  Some districts have responded by stating that students’ needs for acceleration and enrichment will be met in the regular classroom through differentiated instruction.

While differentiated instruction is a valuable tool in addressing the academic needs of gifted students, it is only effective when teachers are well trained and given time to write differentiated curriculum.  As every teacher knows, differentiating your entire curriculum is a huge, huge job requiring extensive time and effort. 

Many districts have eliminated or significantly reduced funds for professional development and for staff time outside of the classroom to revise curriculum. Remaining funds are frequently reserved for addressing the needs of under-performing students.  Also, the recent collective bargaining legislation assures there are few incentives for teachers to pursue continuing education at their own expense.

Since state law says the school must address the needs of gifted students, parents have a right to know the school's specific plan for providing an appropriate challenge for their child.
 

Parents can ask for that plan in writing and request periodic updates on how the plan is proceeding, as well as assessments that indicate academic growth of their child.  A teacher who uses differentiated instruction will be able to tell parents how concepts, activities, and products have been structured to meet the needs of children of varying abilities, not just for learning styles or interests.

Additionally, the highest ability students need services beyond the regular differentiated classroom.  Schools must identify those students and assure that there is a consistent and systematic plan for appropriately challenging education.

And it should be noted that while intellectual and academic gifts are most often addressed by differentiated instruction, students with three other areas of giftedness (creativity, leadership, and artistic) must also be identified and provided with appropriate programming by each school district. But GT coordinators and teachers are struggling to keep existing programs in place and it's impossible to expand when funds are scarcer and scarcer.

Sorry for this lengthy entry, but there's been a lot of interest in the effects of recent legislation on gifted education in Wisconsin.  As I begin to collect the stories, it's the frustration of educators and parents alike that have driven this response.

Ever the optimist, I still believe that new life and fresh ideas can sprout from the direst of circumstances!

Educational Rights

Most school mission statements include phrases like . . .

 “providing rigorous programming for all”

 “including diverse educational opportunities”

 “each individual can achieve optimum intellectual growth”

 “encouraging everyone to see and be her personal best”

Sadly, many gifted teens don’t think this applies to them.  They haven’t claimed their right to an education that is engaging and challenging and differentiated for their needs.

Students need to believe that asking for an appropriately challenging curriculum is not asking for more than they deserve.  

According to the recent NAGC report, thirty-one states have some form of legal mandate related to gifted and talented education. Even here in Wisconsin, where virtually no state funds are devoted to gifted education, we have a statute that requires each public school board to “provide access to an appropriate program for pupils identified as gifted.”

Our children do have rights and knowing that empowers them to self-advocate.
You can download a copy of the NAGC Gifted Children's Bill of Rights.

Judy Galbraith in Gifted Kids Survival Guide puts it like this:

You have the right to a rigorous education, which stretches your skills and thinking every day.

You have a right

• to be in classes that are challenging and interesting
• to know about giftedness and why you’re in or should be in an enriched or accelerated class
• to make mistakes and “not do your best” if you feel like it
• to be with other kids who really understand you
• to be treated with respect by friends, teachers, and parents
• to be different.