{Pt 1 in Series of 6 ‘Going Back to School Empowered’ articles}
School districts nationwide are being challenged by
scholars, families, educators to do a better job of including more students of
culturally diverse backgrounds in gifted education services. Your role as an
advocate for your child is critical. School districts will become more responsive when
parents speak up and stand up for their children’s rights.
If you believe your child/teen has high potential/ is gifted as
demonstrated by their unique responses to the world around them, school
performance, exceptional gifts as demonstrated in community or church related
events, arts activities, test scores or school grades and they have NOT been considered
for the school district advanced learner or gifted education program services,
use the following ten advocacy
strategies to help get your child noticed,
identified, and served in gifted education or advanced classes.
Resources at the end of this
list will also provide additional support for your advocacy:
1- If
you would like to have your child evaluated/tested for the gifted program, at
the beginning of the school year, check the district’s website, gifted
education section for the evaluation timeframe. Check specifically for dates that
schools are collecting/soliciting referrals or nominations from parents/family
members. If the school does not list
this information online, call the district office, ask to speak to the Gifted
Education Specialist/Coordinator for more information (Bright Talented & Black
provides information on testing and evaluation procedures used in
gifted programs nationwide).
2- If
you believe that your child needs additional academic challenge based on their
experience the prior year, make an appointment early in the year to speak to
your child’s homeroom teacher or content area teacher to ask how the school
intends to challenge your child and what services are available (Books listed below & facebook pages have information on special program services for gifted students).
3- Keep
a diary/scrapbook/electronic journal to collect artifacts and samples that demonstrate
your child’s unique performances/work production over time. Share this journal
with school personnel. Include letters from community members, out of school
teachers/instructors that describe your child’s behavior and exceptional gifts
& talents.
4- Attend
all parent-teacher conferences, make sure you ask at least three questions
during the Q& A time during group meetings. Show up at school often within
district guidelines of course. (In research studies, high achieving African American
& Hispanic students note that their parents were ‘always at school’,
helping, talking with teachers, seeking out information).
5- Ask
school about intellectual and problem solving competitions (Destination Imagination; MathCounts; Math
Olympiad; Olympics of the Mind; Chess; National Society of Black Engineers
programs, etc). Offer to coach, share information with other parents of culturally
diverse students. Far too often, these programs exist but are segregated and
limited to students whose parents are better informed or have available funds
to pay extra fees.
6- Volunteer
to serve on the district Gifted Education Advisory Council or
school based advisory council.
7- Find
out more about how your state supports gifted students by reading the ‘STATE of
the STATES report’ published by the National Association for Gifted Children. (Reports
are available
at a minimal cost via www.nagc.org)
8- Be
patient with the evaluation/referral/nomination/evaluation process, however, if
you sense inconsistencies or inequities, keep notes, and make an appointment
with school district coordinator/principal or other personnel to discuss your
concerns.
9- If
your child is already identified and served in the gifted program, monitor
instruction to ensure that-
a. materials
are ‘culturally responsive’ and
challenging, and
b. your child is not singled out as ‘the only culturally different’ child in
the program. If this is the case, ask district personnel what is being done to
improve services for more students. (see Recruiting and Retaining Culturally
Different Students for more information)
10-Always
remember, you know your child best, you are their first teacher and they will
count on you more than any teacher to ensure that their intellectual,
psycho-social, and academic needs are met and to come to their defense
when others simply don’t believe in their potential. Please, don’t let them
down.
Below are other helpful resources. If you would like to share more, please write in the comment space
below or send me an email. My best to all of our gifted students for a school year filled with
challenge and positive, productive opportunities!!
*********************************************************************************
Books:
Bright, Talented & Black: A guide for Families of African American
Gifted Learners by Joy Lawson Davis http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Talented-Black-Families-American/dp/1935067028
Retaining & Recruiting Culturally Different Students in Gifted
Education by Donna Y. Ford
African American Students in Urban Schools: Critical Issues & Solutions for Achievement by James L. Moore III & Chance Lewis http://www.amazon.com/African-American-Students-Urban-Schools/dp/1433106868
Special Award
Competition:
CTY Announces New Award to Support Pre-College Math and
Science Research
BALTIMORE August 15, 2013—Young scientists ages 13 to 18 with
promising research ideas can now be awarded funding of up to $600 through a new
annual competition sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
(CTY). CTY is establishing the CTY Cogito Research Awards to help offset the costs associated with conducting research
in math and science for selected middle and high school students.
Log on to Facebook, search for the following pages:
Parents Advocating for Gifted Education
International Gifted Education
WeAreGifted2
Mirror Books: the Power of Positive Images
The Brain Café
Prep For College
Uplift, Inc.
National Association of Multicultural Education
Upcoming Workshop:
National Harambee Education Summit Sept 19-22, 2013
Washington, DC
For more information: www.sankofaed.org
Upcoming NAGC Webinar:
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, 7-8 EST Beyond
Colorblindness: Building a Gifted Education Classroom that Honors Cultural
Difference
Your comments and ideas are greatly appreciated!! Dr. Joy
Great information here. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading. Please share with your network!!
DeleteAre you the parent of a gifted black or Hispanic student? If so, you know that advocacy is key to ensuring your child receives the education they deserve. Here are our top 10 advocacy tips for parents of black and Hispanic gifted students: 1. Get involved in your child’s education. Attend school meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and other events. 2. Speak up for your child. If you have concerns, make sure that the school staff.
ReplyDelete