 Hello!
We would like to thank you for your interest in Genius Denied,
and for making our effort to publish the book and Genius
Denied website so rewarding.
Since Genius
Denied was published in April, we have received many letters
and emails, including questions about various topics discussed in
the book. We are hoping to answer many of the most frequently asked
questions through Genius Denied e-broadcasts to our readers
and website visitors. Welcome to the inaugural issue.
 Thank
you again!
Jan and Bob Davidson
Q.
How can I tell if our local schools are meeting the educational
needs of the bright students?
A. You should ask questions
of your district's school board members, superintendent, principals,
teachers, students and parents about educational policy, practices,
and learning experiences of high ability students. Here are some
items to include in your queries.
- How is entrance
to kindergarten determined? (In most places, it is by age.) If
a child is developmentally ready for school before the age date
specified, are exceptions made to allow him to start school early?
- How are students
grouped for instruction? Research has shown that schools who group
students by competency rather than age get better academic performance
results-- at all levels.
- If a student
has mastered the material in a given subject or course, can she
move on to something more challenging? Ask
for examples of bright students who are currently being accommodated
with an accelerated educational program matched to their abilities.
- Can the
student be accelerated to an advanced course or take an advanced
course online? Is grade acceleration an option? Are any gifted
students involved in dual enrollment, i.e. taking some high school
courses when they are in middle school?
- Are Advanced
Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available
at the high schools? What percentage of students graduate from
high school with college credit earned from taking these accelerated
courses?
- Does the
school recognize the special needs of gifted students, offer them
appropriate counseling, and advise them of talent development
opportunities? Are gifted students encouraged to participate in
the talent searches and take advantage of advanced academic experiences
offered by the talent search programs?
- Does the
school district offer their teachers professional development
so that they are informed on the signs of high ability and how
gifted students learn?
- Does the
school culture value intellectual discovery and achievement? Do
the students encourage one another to accomplish more than they
would on their own? Is it ok to be smart?
- In our work
with schools, we have found that if the administration is open-minded
and flexible in serving the educational needs of each student,
it is likely that they will be able to craft an educational program
that will allow even their bright students to learn to the extent
of their abilities.
- One final
thought: "gifted" is a term that covers a wide range
of intellectual abilities. Be wary of a school that treats all
gifted students the same. Our experience has been that a "one-size-fits-all
gifted program" fits few.
Please send
any questions to be answered in future Newsletters to: JanandBob@davidsongifted.org
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-
Out
of every Federal dollar spent on education only a fraction of
a penny is spent on gifted education.
-
There
is no federal mandate or overarching federal legislation to
guide state policies on educating high ability learners.
-
Only
32 states have laws that require that gifted students be identified;
just 29 require that they be served.
-
Researchers
estimate that about half of gifted students are underachievers
in school.
What
the Experts Say
Policy
Resources
A
Nation Deceived:
How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students
The Templeton
Report on Acceleration
by Dr.
Nicholas Colangelo,
Dr. Susan G. Assouline, &
Dr. Miraca U. M. Gross
- Provides an
overview of the research on the educational needs of gifted learners
PLUS
- Step-by-step guidance on how to turn research findings into good
educational practices
Download
report available- Late September
at www.nationdeceived.org
Printed report available- the first week in October
FREE
to schools
To request your copy of A Nation Deceived,
email: nationdeceived@belinblank.org
Our
September Schedule
Wednesday,
September 29th
We'll be at the Davidson Fellows Event in Washington D.C. proudly
honoring the outstanding achievements of sixteen 2004
Davidson Fellows.
If
you or your organization would be interested in a book signing or
a "Meet the Author" session with the authors of Genius
Denied, please email your request to
info@davidsongifted.org
or visit Genius
Denied
- On Tour.
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