Roberto Lugo - The Current State of Gifted and Talented Education

The Current State of Gifted and Talented Education

The state of New Jersey defines a gifted student as "one who possess or demonstrate high levels of ability, in one or more content areas, when compared to their chronological peers in the local school district..." According to this definition, it would seem obvious that much emphasis would be placed on educating these students. However, the current state of gifted and talented education is one of a de-emphasis on the gifted student and an overall emphasis on all students. As will be evidenced by this position paper, there is a decline in the amount of resources allocated to gifted and talented education (G & T education). Furthermore, it will be shown that one of the main reasons of this decline is the emergence of No Child Left Behind.

A substantial amount of income and resources have been given to schools in response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Although New Jersey Administrative Law provides for the establishment of a G & T program in every school district, there has been no recent developments in NJ education pertaining to the gifted student. Since schools, teachers, and administrators can be punished for students who do not reach minimal levels of proficiency under NCLB, it is obvious to see why there has been so little emphasis on G & T education. The dramatic shift currently facing education is summarized thoughtfully by Susan Goodkin in the Washington Post, "By forcing schools to focus their time and funding almost entirely on bringing low-achieving students up to proficiency, NCLB sacrifices the education of the gifted students who will become our future biomedical researchers, computer engineers and other scientific leaders.”

Another cause of the decline in G & T education is shifting ideas of standards and ideas by American society at large. According to Ornstein and Hunkins, "...society (has) shifted...to the view that all students should be expected to attain levels of understanding and skill that will enable them to achieve well-being and contribute to society." If this is the case, is it any wonder that we have seen a steady decline in educating the gifted student? Perhaps this shift in society's standards is a by-product of NCLB. Related to this is the fact that in today's economy, it is virtually impossible to earn a living with a low-skill job. Since this is the case, emphasis must be placed on all students attaining levels of proficiency that will allow them to be prepared for today's society.

Maybe there is another explanation for this decline in G & T education. Research has shown that interest in G & T education fluctuates. Abbe Krissman states, "Periods of funding and interest in gifted programming coincide almost exactly with periods of political unrest or uncertainty about our nation's relative status." Emily Stewart has created a list of 10 events and forces that have shaped the identity of a century of gifted and talented education. Could the current decline in Gifted & Talented education be a result of the natural cycle of the nation's interest? If so, does this mean that there will come a time when G & T education takes a top priority?

It has been the purpose of this position paper to shed light on the current state of Gifted and Talented education. Due to NCLB, a large portion of funding and resources has gone to meeting the need of all students, not simply the gifted ones. There is also the shift in society that views the importance of educating every child. Also, one cannot succeed in supporting a family with a low-skill job. All of these factors contribute to the decline in Gifted and Talented education.