Friday, August 29, 2008

Just found a link to a blog from a gifted and talented educator that is quite interesting. Unfortunately in today's society the gifted and talented are essentially brushed under a rug. Turns out our district receives $4 mill in grant funding to service all our GT kids - apparently less than 10 years ago it was $40 mill. Huh? That $4 mill equates to about $1,000 per school to use for maybe some xeroxes and helps pay for a part time "coordinator" (who to the best of knowledge does nothing). In elementary school I loved when I was told that they didn't know who the GT kids were until 3rd grade (after 2nd grade standardized testing results came back). HA HA HA! I volunteer in kindergarten and I'd be happy to point out a few of the GT kids to the teachers if they want. Those standardized tests certainly will miss certain kids as well. In our society it is not politically correct to lobby or speak of the GT kids. The kids on the other end of the education spectrum however have incredibly vocal political allies (often their parents armed with lawsuits). GT kids theoretically have just as different needs and yet are all but ignored. Sad.

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