Gifted Students Still Left Behind

I wish I could say that I was surprised by this story, but I wasn't. The Associated Press points out how geography is destiny when it comes to gifted education.

Gifted students, especially those students in urban and poor rural communities, are often "left behind" when it comes to the availability of gifted education services. The educational needs of gifted students are rarely discussed at all.

Take a look at Race to the Top. Can you show me where states are in any way required to effectively address the educational needs of able learners? You won't find it because it's not there. Oh sure, the grant application talks about achievement growth for all students, but until and unless the needs of able learners are addressed in standards, assessments and educator training, nothing good will happen for gifted students. The grant will distribute more than $4 billion dollars and not one dime is targeted for appropriate educational services for gifted students.

Such disparities exist in every state, according to a new report by the National Association for Gifted Children that blames low federal funding and a focus on low-performing students.

The report, "State of the States in Gifted Education," hits at a basic element of the focus on education: Most of its money and effort goes into helping low-performing, poor and minority kids achieve basic proficiency. It largely ignores the idea of helping gifted kids reach their highest potential, leaving those tasks to states and local school districts.

"In the age of Sputnik, we put money into math and science, and we ended up on the moon," said Del Siegle, a University of Connecticut researcher who wrote the report. "We really need to consider that again. We cannot afford as a country to ignore talent."

$7.5 million in fed money
The federal government spent just $7.5 million last year on research and grants for the estimated 3 million gifted children in the U.S. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have tried to eliminate that money entirely, but Congress put it back into the budget each year.

Gifted programs are typically paid for by local districts or states and vary dramatically. In some states, it's as stark as one county with multiple gifted programs — magnet schools, honors courses and separate classrooms for advanced learners — next to a county with nothing.

"The quality of gifted services is dependent on geography, and it shouldn't be," said Laura Carriere, president of the Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education and the mother of two gifted children.

Just six states pick up the whole tab for gifted programs, and 13 don't put a single dollar toward such curriculum, according to the study.

That means poor urban and rural school systems are often have no money left for their highest achievers, according to the Nov. 12 report.

"There is a markedly insufficient national commitment to gifted and talented children, which, if left unchecked, will ultimately leave our nation ill-prepared to field the next generation of innovators and to compete in the global economy," the report states.

For more information on gifted children and their educational needs, check out the Ohio Association for Gifted Children website.