Confronting Gifted Education Issues in Our Schools, States, and Nation
By Charlotte A. Akin Back when I was a teacher, I would occasionally have the problem student whose mother came in for a conference. When I expressed the problem and spent real time going over possible solutions, sometimes it would result in positive change. But...
read moreWhy Are Gifted Children “Second Class Citizens” in America’s Public Schools?
My November 2018 blog laid out a number of indicators of gifted children being treated differently in America’s schools. When compared to special education students, for example, the referral and assessment processes – and services - are widely different. That...
read moreAre Gifted Children “Second Class Citizens” in America’s Public Schools?
The question is real. Are gifted children treated differently in our schools than other children? Schools focus on special education children. Serious amounts of money from both state and federal governments are available. Children who come into schools not...
read moreGifted Advocacy at the School District Level
Advocacy seems to be happening year-round. We had our Washington State Gifted Education Day at the State Capitol in January. I was invited to NAGC’s Advocacy Conference in the other Washington in March - my introduction to advocacy at the national level. In June I...
read moreThe Challenge of Equity for Gifted Children
This past week I finished meeting with four state legislators to talk about the barriers to equitable identification and services for gifted children. It has been well documented that school districts miss identification of children in minority and poverty...
read moreDialing Down Anxiety
A pediatrician first gave me a method for dialing down anxiety: Minimize the situation. He said if I could help my girl make it smaller or simpler, she would be better able to handle it. I wasn’t to dismiss her anxiety. Rather, it was to help her see her...
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