Parents as Productive Partners in Gifted Education

1. Parents as Productive Partners in Gifted Education Kimberly M. Tyler, Ph.D. Texas Wesleyan University kmtyler@txwes.edu McKinney ISD Alpha Parents Support (ALPS) January 26, 2010

2. Overview • What is Giftedness? • Literature Review • Advocates • Local • In the Classroom • Mentors • Support Groups • State • National

3. What is Giftedness?

4. Need for Parent SupportLiterature Review • Parents of gifted children are notoriously accurate in identifying their children’s abilities, especially if they have some ideas about how children normally develop (Robinson, Shore, & Enersen, 2007) • The more extensive the parent involvement, the higher the student achievement(Henderson & Berla, 1994; Olmstead & Rubin, 1982)

5. Need for Parent SupportLiterature Review • Studies on parent involvement indicate that the most accurate predictor of a child’s achievement in school is the extent to which the child’s family is able to (i) create an environment that encourages learning; (ii) communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations for their children’s achievement and future careers, and (iii) become involved in their children’s education at school and within the community (Ngeow, 1999).

6. Need for Parent SupportLiterature Review • The following parenting practices override factors such as socioeconomic status and parent IQ and education: • Parents involving themselves extensively in structuring their children’s lives • Modeling life strategies that have been successful for them • Having frequent contact with teachers (Martini, 1995)

7. Adjectives

8. Parents as Advocates for Gifted Education: Local Level • In the Classroom • Clear Communication • Parents must remain informed on all educational/instructional decisions • Parents need to participate in classroom activities • Parents need to know the language of teaching/education • Parents need to understand what test scores really mean • Volunteers • Making or locating supplemental materials • Helping in the classroom or library • Offering expertise to small groups of students or finding others who can provide other enriching activities (Silverman, 1992)

9. Parents as Advocates for Gifted Education: Local Level • Mentors Creating the opportunity for gifted children to experience a mentor relationship even on a limited basis can be facilitative to their development. The two fundamental steps include: • Developing a resource bank of parents/adults in the community who have interest in working with gifted students and who have high-level expertise in a particular area • Identifying students who can profit from exposure to these adults and who share similar abilities and interests with the chosen mentor (VanTassel-Baska, 1998; Pleiss and Feldhusen, 1995)

10. Parents as Advocates for Gifted Education: Local Level • Support Groups • Share concerns and ideas regarding gifted and talented students • Maintain a channel of communication with appropriate school district officials • Provide assistance and support to relevant school programs • Serve as advocates for gifted and talented education (acceleration options, engaging enrichment options, grouping strategies, etc.) • Monitor legislative decisions that will affect gifted and talented programs • Supporting schools in all options, especially in the budget process (Parent Advocates for Gifted Education)

11. Parents as Advocates for Gifted Education: State Level • Join state gifted organizations (TAGT) http://www.txgifted.org • Become educated about state guidelines and programs in the state http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/gted/EnglishStatePlan121409.pdf • Monitor legislative decisions that will affect gifted and talented programs in the state • Attend state gifted education conferences

12. Parents as Advocates for Gifted Education: National Level • Join national gifted organizations (NAGC) http://www.nagc.org • Become educated about guidelines and programs in other states • Monitor legislative decisions that will affect gifted and talented programs nationally • Attend national conferences on gifted education

13. What Else Can We Do For Teachers & Parents? • Equip practicing teachers with strategies for working with parents of gifted children. Hold workshops that focus on effective communication and collaboration. Include specific strategies for teacher to employ to engage parents of culturally diverse families. • Train teachers to put parent volunteers to good use. Working together will build a relationship from which to draw when the situation becomes stressed (Robinson, Shore, & Enersen, 2007)

14. What Else Can We Do For Teachers & Parents? (cont.) • Hold parenting classes when services are initiated for gifted children. Include the following: • Information about identification measures; • Nature and needs of gifted children; • Resources and options locally available; • Communication skills such as effective dialoguing and active listening; • Specific training in how to promote learning at home; • Plans for parents’ assistance through classroom involvement. (Robinson, Shore, & Enersen, 2007)

15. Helpful Websites for Parents(cont.) • National Association for Gifted Children www.nagc.org • Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented: http://www.txgifted.org • Center for Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org • Center for Talented Youth: http://cty.jhu.edu • The National Research Center on Gifted and Talented: www.gifted.uconn.edu • Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary: www.cfge.wm.edu

16. Helpful Websites for Parents • The Council for Exceptional Children: www.cec.sped.org • The Association for the Gifted: www.cectag.org • The Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students: Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted: www.SENGifted.org • Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page: http://hoagiesgifted.org • A Different Place: www.adifferentplace.org • Gifted-Children.com: www.gifted-children.com

17. Final Thought…

18. Thank you for coming! Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or concerns at kmtyler@txwes.edu