Leaving Behind Our Brightest Kids

© 2004 Alessa Giampaolo Keener

In 1998 Lorri Schonfeld's oldest daughter was grouped in the highest level reading group in her first grade class at Stoneleigh Elementary School. She watched other children play fun learning games while she sat with her assigned book work and little teacher interaction. The six-year old finally confided, "I wish I didn't read so well". Schonfeld completely understood her daughter's predicament. "It was like a punishment for the good readers to have to watch the other kids have fun while they were ignored."

Six years ago Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) did not have a formal gifted and talented policy in place. Today, official guidelines regulate how children are to be identified and served when they exhibit high levels of achievement.

Times have changed for the better for gifted students. Or, have they?

Show Me the Money
Overall state and county education budgets are increasing. According to Dr. Joe Hairston, superintendent of BCPS, at a March meeting with families of gifted students, the school budget went up by $56 million this year. County wide gifted education received $2.5 million for the 2003-04 school year.

Next year is a different story, though. Hairston insists that he must focus the budget on teacher compensation. Huge jumps in teacher health care costs as well as overdue cost of living increases leave nothing extra for gifted children. "It's a highly competitive market. Teacher's are going to go where the money is," Hairston explained to parents back in March.

At first glance it would seem that recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers should benefit gifted students. Charles Beckman, president of the Stoneleigh PTA, sees a different reality. Recently meeting with the Stoneleigh school improvement team to discuss staff allocations for next school year, Beckman did not get a sense of strong support from within the school for a GT specialist. "Really, what can one person do when working in the school one day a week, serving five grades?

If schools are getting more money and hiring better teachers then where are the resources going? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal initiative gives us a road map for the redirection of funds and resources. Schools are on a tight timeline to bring up the achievement of all their students. Those that don't will be required to offer families the option of transferring to better schools. The bottom line is simple: underachieving students must be brought up to speed.

A look at the State of Maryland education budget gives a glimpse of these changing priorities. As reported in the online version of the Maryland Manual, the State slashed 90% of gifted and talented funds. Other big budget losers this year include Innovative Programs, Environmental Education, Class Size Initiative and School Building Construction Aid.

On the other hand, Compensatory Education & School Accountability Funding for Excellence received a $100 million boost in funding. Limited English Proficient programs debuted as a line item with almost $39 million. Programs for Educationally Deprived Children and Students with Disabilities got big increases, also.

What To Do
With pullout programs disappearing, Beckman believes that school administrators presume gifted instruction is simply happening in the classroom. Parents like Amrita Bailey disagree. "My son would get bored. He'd zone out and put his head down on his desk during class." Bailey believed her son's elementary school was doing its best. It just wasn't enough.

Bailey's search for an appropriate education led her to an unlikely solution: Baltimore City Public School system. Funded by the Abell Foundation, the Ingenuity Project is a success story amid an otherwise bleak budgetary time for gifted students in Baltimore City. With limited enrollment, students are groomed with a rigorous math and science curriculum. Being a county resident, Bailey pays a relatively small fee for her son to attend classes at Roland Park Middle School, one of the sites where the Ingenuity program is run.

L. A. Brickner of Granite faced similar frustrations. "It wasn't so much dissatisfaction. My school had excellent teachers. But, the best just wasn't adequate for my child." Even after two full grade skips, Brickner realized she could do better at home. Utilizing a combination of distance learning courses, co-operative classes and traditional curricular material, Brickner knows that homeschooling is the best option for her 12 year old son.

Staying within an assigned school can work for gifted children. Bailey, like most parents of gifted children, cautions, though. "It depends on the teacher. Not all teachers are trained to work with gifted kids."

Brickner advises families who want to stay within their school to advocate for either a full grade skip or subject skipping. "Acceleration is often a viable option. It's a cheap way to offer gifted services. It only requires confidence in a child's behavior to make it work."

Commitment from parents and advocates like Beckman ensure that gifted students will not be lost in the shuffle. "Whatever gifted kids are, collectively they are our nation's most precious resource. To play fast and lose with their education is to toy with our nation's future. These are the kids that are going to grow up to be leaders. These are the kids we hand over the reins to. It's a national disgrace that NCLB is virtually silent on gifted."