Most larger school districts in this country offer some kind of enriched or accelerated curriculum under the "Gifted and Talented" umbrella, designed for students that need additional challenges. Are you interested in such a program for your child? Already enrolled in one? Is this a "no-brainer" for the brainy? Or are there some reasons to consider not enrolling in these programs?

The reason I pose the question is that my wife and I are mulling this for our youngest. The forms came home yesterday and I have yet to fill them out. Why would I even hesitate? Two reasons: Nurtureshock and siblings.

I'm sure most of you are sick of me talking about this book, but the authors of Nurtureshock ask some very provocative questions and bring some interesting research to bear on this question. They claim that the research shows that schools do a "no better than chance" job of identifying kids that are truly gifted (as measured by high school academic success), and that these programs would be hard pressed to demonstrate any quantifiable benefit to students. But they certainly don't hurt. How can additional resources and focus be bad? So there's that on the plus side.

On the minus side, the academic challenges of the mainstream curriculum seemed adequate for our older two. We never bothered to have them tested (I've always harbored suspicions about tracking kids, period). So now if we were to potentially place our youngest in a GT program, that could be perceived as a rebuke. I can hear them going on and on about the injustice -- especially my oldest.

So we're really unsure about what to do here.

I think this is a good question. The jury is still out on this issue for just the reasons described above. Such programs have their pro and cons, especially in the social realm. It can be hard for kids to get singled out, no matter how positive the reasons might be. In my own experience however, keeping children out of such programs can also be detrimental to their academic experience. In my case, I was due to be placed in a "Talented and Gifted" program because in the 4th grade (in like 1984) I was at a 9th grade reading level and a 7th grade math level. So I had aides come in to help me, but for most of the time I was with the rest of the class. The TAG program would have separated me entirely from the rest of my classmates. As it turned out, my family moved to Michigan before 5th grade to a school system that did not have a Gifted program, nor did it have any other form of aid to keep me progressing in school, so I had to do 5th grade reading and math all over again. By the time I got to Junior High, I was entirely bored with school and became quite lazy with my school work, which continued through high school.

So I guess I would say that it is better to do it if you know that you'll be able to continue such a program throughout the child's academic career, but also if the child has sufficient social interaction with her peers. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with such programs, I would just want to make sure there was sufficient support for my child's social needs as well as her academic needs. The real danger comes from the wholesale separation of "gifted" kids from their peers. Kids shouldn't be made to feel that they're "weird" or somehow "better" than the other kids because they excel at one thing or another. As I'm sure we"re all aware, there are folks who are vastly talented in some areas while quite "deficient" in others.

My middle child (20) was never in the GATE program. Very high IQ but just 3 points shy of the 'admission' point. She is currently in college, and will have her Bachelor's Degree in NeuroBiology in 3 years, graduating this spring!!!!

My youngest (15) IS a GATE student, and up until this year has REFUSED to put any effort into school. She hated being singled out, and in her own mind thought we expected her to blow her sister out of the water!

Be very careful when signing up for GATE programs. In some communities it's considered 'Special Ed' and is highly funded. Ask a lot of questions regarding how much extra time will be required and if there's extracurricular activities. My daughter got special field trips, like behind the scene visits to the zoo & museums! Very cool...

Kelly
AboutOne.com

Wow. Very timely. Our boy (age 6) was just identified as potentially "gifted and talented." We signed the paperwork to authorize him to be tested. The testing was conducted just after they returned from the holiday break. We haven't heard the results yet.

For us, it will be a question of what form the accelerated instruction will take. For me all through elementary school, I participated in a program that was outside the classroom during regular instruction hours, but it was only 1-2 hours a week. If my son's program is something akin to that, I'd have no problem with it.

We're not clear yet what the instruction will be. We've been told that the programs kids participate in and at what level depend on the results of the testing.

I agree with halldur though that the social development of the child has to be considered as well as the academic. In our specific case, we're of the mind that if our son is showing signs of being academically gifted it's at least in part because of the classroom environment that he's currently in. Removing him from that would be counterproductive, in our opinion.

We've had our son tested, and we will probably enroll him if he's accepted, but the research we've read has helped us lower the stakes on this whole issue. In the end, G&T doesn't really matter that much. You may feel that your kid simply MUST be in one of these programs, and the environment may serve some kids in the short term, there isn't much out there to support any long term benefit. It certainly can't hurt. One would assume that the best teachers work these programs, but if they were, wouldn't they be having a greater impact?

In then end, good sleep and nutrition is probably more important.

I find myself restraining a lot of cynicism regarding TAG programs. When I went from the Lutheran elementary 6th grade (the end of that line) to the second year in Middle School (7th), my parents didn't think I could handle the stress of being entirely TAG. So I was "held back" in math, because I was doing fine there. The thought at the time was that I needed more challenge in the language areas. In retrospect it crippled me. It took until the last week of college to find out that I had had disabling disabilities in written and spoken communications. The psychiatrist who did the testing was surprised that I'd graduated from High School, let alone from college.

I don't blame the TAG program for how I came to be. But the effect of teetering between a "special" program and college prep really did damage to my own self esteem. Being behind in math sure didn't help either. Having a major communication disability in disguise didn't help me deal with it, either.

Also heard a talk with Temple Grandin yesterday on NPR's Talk of the Nation. Her comments regarding getting high functioning autistic kids into special programs to let them use their skills rang strong for me. I certainly think you should let any kid push with their natural talents. But when there's a deficit somewhere else, kids need to be able to shine somewhere.

Although we went ahead and applied for the G&T program at my son's school, my wife and I have now officially decided not to enroll him in the program. It's not because he wasn't accepted. It's because we realize that these programs have little determinative value and may be disruptive in the child's day.

Despite all I know about G&T programs, I still had a lump in my stomach when the letter arrived from the school, and a little wave of disappointment passed over me when I saw that Coop was not accepted. It's hard for me to admit here.

It's ironic because we didn't even bother to apply for the older two. My oldest is still bitter about that even though he is doing fine in his academically demanding middle school program.

Something in my reptilian parenting brain bubbles.

I'm not worried. We'll show them. We'll show all of you!!!!

Yikes.

I can understand how some parents, people who really value these kind of evaluations and programs might go ballistic (perhaps that is why there was a G&T program placement appeal form included in the letter). We really like to feel, like the residents of Lake Wobegon, that all our kids are above average.

Funny, when you find yourself in conversation with yourself over something you know you believe.