Friday, September 28

Why are gifted children forgotten?

In this drive for inclusion and and and, there is one cohort of people who are forgotten, the smarts, the intelligent, the gifted children and students. Both in my personal life and in my academic life, this is one thing which I have seen so many times, the gifted child is not handled properly at all. Its like that the entire system is geared towards managing the great unwashed herd in the middle or the laggards, but the gifted? they are left to their own devices, they are left on their own, thinking, they will be ok…

So it was with interest that I read this.

Today’s systemic failure takes three forms.

First, we’re weak at identifying “gifted and talented” children early, particularly if they’re poor or members of minority groups or don’t have savvy, pushy parents.

Second, at the primary and middle-school levels, we don’t have enough gifted-education classrooms (with suitable teachers and curriculums) to serve even the existing demand. Congress has “zero-funded” the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program, Washington’s sole effort to encourage such education. Faced with budget crunches and federal pressure to turn around awful schools, many districts are cutting their advanced classes as well as art and music.

Third, many high schools have just a smattering of honors or Advanced Placement classes, sometimes populated by kids who are bright but not truly prepared to succeed in them.

Yep. I agree, similar situation here. I was pleased as punch to hear that Kannu’s current 6th form college has a gifted students programme. I have high hopes for it.

But the article ends with a great paragraph.

It’s time to end the bias against gifted and talented education and quit assuming that every school must be all things to all students, a simplistic formula that ends up neglecting all sorts of girls and boys, many of them poor and minority, who would benefit more from specialized public schools. America should have a thousand or more high schools for able students, not 165, and elementary and middle schools that spot and prepare their future pupils.

we should encourage the high fliers and gifted students. Don't be bogged down by the politics of envy. Encourage these budding genius’s..

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