The District Administration – Alison DeNisco
“The U.S. public school system’s focus on struggling students leaves high-achievers—especially minorities, the economically disadvantaged and English-language learners —without a challenging enough education, experts say. A lack of federal funding and patchwork policies across states often leave decisions on identifying and serving gifted students to district administrators. An estimated 3 million to 5 million academically gifted students attend K12 schools, and it is unknown how many are receiving services, according to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). “There’s an unfounded sense that it’s somehow elitist to place emphasis on our highest-ability kids,” says Sally Krisel, director of innovative and advanced programs at Hall County Public Schools in northern Georgia. “We need to be committed to kids across the board. It’s a basic equity issue. If we believe all kids deserve to come to school and engage in a curriculum targeted to their current level of development, then gifted programs are as necessary as special ed services.” The introduction of No Child Left Behind and other accountability systems helped lead the nation’s lowest-achieving students to make rapid academic gains from 2000 to 2007, according to a 2008 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. However, the nation’s top students’ performance stagnated.”(more)