Shoplik, A.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development - Parent Seminar
Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, Ph.D., Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students at Carnegie Mellon University, conducted a seminar for parents of academically talented students. Below are some of the points discussed during the seminar.
Advocacy: Working with Your Child’s School (January 2009)
Take responsibility for advocating for your child
Don’t assume school personnel will make adjustments in the standard school program for your child; although many schools do have established programs and protocols for exceptionally talented students, many do not. Learn about gifted education, and learn as much as you can about your child’s talent area. For example, if your child is exceptionally talented in math, you need to learn about options for math-talented students.
Research outside-of-school opportunities for students, too. Don’t rely on school personnel for this information. In addition, understand that your child may not be able to get all of the challenges he or she needs from your school’s programs. You may need to find other programs in order to meet your child’s needs.
Obtain objective data
Objective information is the best information you can share with school personnel. Although anecdotes and examples of work students have done at home are helpful, objective data (such as test results) are even more so.
You’ll need achievement test results to demonstrate what your child has learned plus above-level testing (using tests that were designed for older students) to give a clear picture of your child’s abilities.
Interacting with school personnel: Keep it positive
After you have done all of this research, you may be in the position of having more information than school personnel. This can be a delicate situation! You want to share your knowledge in a manner that is non-confrontational and helpful. Think consciously about how you are perceived by personnel in your child’s school.
Consider setting the stage for positive interactions with school personnel by volunteering for lunch or recess duty, offering to help with tasks like making bulletin boards, chaperoning field trips, etc. Also, remember that a little kindness goes a long way: consider writing notes to teachers telling them when your child enjoyed a topic or activity in school and write positive notes to principals and other decision-makers when you are pleased with something at school.
What should I ask the school to do?
Approach school personnel with a plan. This is your starting point, the point from which the discussion begins. Decide what your goals are. At one point or another, you'll be asked what you want for your child. Go into a meeting prepared with an answer to that question.
Reasonable accommodations for gifted students include differentiation in the regular classroom, grouping (within a class or placement in a separate class for high-ability students), pullout programs, and moving up a grade for one or more subjects. Independent study projects and participation in competitions and science fairs are other options. Some schools may be able to provide a mentor who can work one-on-one with a student or provide supervision for a distance learning course at the appropriate level. Other schools may not have the budget or personnel for such provisions.
Perhaps one of the easiest steps to take in the elementary grades is to request a specific teacher for a child. You can make that request even before the school has announced classroom assignments for the next year. You can talk to the principal about your child's needs and interests and try to find a match with a teacher who is compatible.
If issues arise during the year, it's always best to start by talking with your child's teacher. If you approach the principal first, that might be viewed negatively by the teacher.
Differentiation within the regular classroom may be a good starting point for many teachers and talented students. Susan Winebrenner has written a book that is popular with teachers, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. The book is filled with practical suggestions, and it's written in a teacher-friendly way.
As you are advocating for your child, it's helpful to work with your school's gifted coordinator or gifted teacher. This individual will know something about gifted students as well as be familiar with the system at your school. He/she can be a good advocate for your child and can make suggestions for appropriate changes in the standard school program.
Making Decisions about Acceleration
Parents of many exceptionally talented students realize that their children aren’t experiencing a good ‘match’ with the current school curriculum. One of the most common ways to make a better match is through acceleration. Acceleration can be a scary topic, since society in general and many school personnel are extremely concerned about the impact of acceleration on social adjustment. One helpful tool in making decisions about grade-skipping or moving ahead in one subject is the Iowa Acceleration Scale. This tool was designed to facilitate the conversation between parents and school personnel. Rather than focusing on one aspect of acceleration (such as socialization), the IAS helps the parties involved think about all important aspects.
Beginning the conversation about acceleration may be very difficult; some schools even have anti-acceleration policies in place! The two volumes of A Nation Deceived (http://www.nationdeceived.org/) gather pertinent research on the topic and provide support for a well-reasoned argument supporting acceleration for exceptionally talented youth. They provide a good starting point for advocacy.
Can students be involved in advocacy?
When kids are young (preschoolers and early elementary), parents need to make decisions for them. They can certainly tell you when they are unhappy in a school situation, but they aren't going to be able to tell you how to fix it.
As they get older, students should take on more responsibility for advocating for themselves. Eventually, they can come with you to meetings with school personnel about their programs. Sometimes, a student initiates the discussion about modifying an educational program. For example, a 5th grader wrote a letter to her school principal asking very eloquently to be moved up to 6th grade because she wanted a challenge. She was successful in her request.
Get involved in parent organizations
The National Association for Gifted Children (www.nagc.org) is a national group for parents and teachers of gifted students. They provide suggestions for advocacy as well as for starting parent/teacher groups. Most states also have statewide organizations, and these often serve as umbrella organizations for local parent groups. They provide resources as well as annual conferences.
Parent organizations provide a real service. Not only do they help parents with similar concerns meet each other, but also they give them opportunities for education. For example, a local parent group might sponsor an information session directed at parents of gifted girls or a summer program expo.
What kind of an impact can I have?
It is hard to make changes in the “system.” Getting a school to develop a program for verbally-talented students could take years and it may not be a realistic goal to expect the program to be ready for your child. However, working with your school to make individualized accommodations for your child during the school day could happen as soon as next week.
It’s practical to seek changes for your child that can be accomplished in the near future. However, the changes made for your child highlight the need in the school system for new programs or accommodations for other academically talented youth. As a result, the interactions you have with school personnel on behalf of your child can influence future programs for gifted students. Be assured that your advocacy today can have a positive impact on someone else’s child.
Resources
Assouline, S. G., & Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2005). Chapter 2, Advocacy. In Developing Math Talent. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Communicating Effectively with Your Gifted Child’s School: http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/PDF/sept2002smutny.pdf
Davidson, Jan and Bob (2004). Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting our Brightest Young Minds. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Gilman, Barbara Jackson (2008). Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A Parent’s Complete Guide. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Parenting Tips on Educational Advocacy: http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10286.aspx Rogers, Karen. (2002). Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
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