The Big Picture: Why Gifted Matters

 

 

Exceptionally bright children do not always flourish academically or socially in traditional school settings. Some schools recognize the needs of bright students and try to help them reach their potentials, but too many do not. There are many reasons why the needs of bright students are often neglected:

• Most schools see their main mission as bringing all children up to a minimum level of proficiency. A low priority is placed on moving students beyond minimum proficiency. The No Child Left Behind Act reinforces this view because it focuses only on low achieving students.
   
• Most schools operate on very limited budgets. When programs are cut, the first programs to go are usually advanced, AP, gifted, and honors courses.
   
• Advanced courses are often seen as "elitist." A simple egalitarian approach to education ("equal education for all") is to offer the same instruction to all students without regard to peer needs or the lack of progress experienced by some students.
   
• The pervasive practice of rigidly grouping children by age ("grade levels") instead of by ability tends to obscure the fact that children of the same age develop intellectually at different rates and have different educational needs.
   
• It is difficult for teachers to offer instruction at different levels in the regular classroom, especially in large classes, so teachers often "teach to the middle."
   
• Early childhood education philosophy that aims to nurture the "whole child" sometimes leads schools to overlook exceptional academic needs.
   
• Colleges providing teacher education do not spend much time on the needs of, and methods for, teaching bright students.
  

Parents of bright children often meet resistance when they ask their schools to provide advanced instruction in the regular classroom or to place their children in advanced courses. When resistance is encountered or if the child's needs are not being met, it is up to the parent to advocate for different educational opportunities. This advocacy can take many forms:

• Meet with the child's teacher or principal and work out an informal plan.
   
• Ask the school system to skip the child a grade-level or to move the child to a higher grade in one or more subjects.
   
• Band together with other parents to persuade a school or school system to create advanced classes.
   
• Find after-school and summer academic enrichment programs.
   
• Have the child tested to qualify as "intellectually gifted" so that the school is more likely to create and follow an education plan.
   
• Research early entry into Kindergarten, dual enrollment in high school and college, or early graduation from high school.
   
• Find distance learning classes.
   
• Consider home school, private school, a magnet school, or moving to another public school zone or district.
   
• Work with the local school board, state legislators or the Governor to increase requirements or funding for advanced academic programs.
   
• Start a new private school that will meet the needs of bright students.
  

Educating bright children in a "minimum proficiency" educational culture can be difficult. Parents who do their homework and explore their options can increase the chances that their children will have meaningful educational experiences and will not languish in school.