Talented Children:

1. Talented Children: The Nature of Artistic Giftedness Inspired by: Children and Their Art, by Al Hurwitz and Michael Day

2. Presentation at a Glance: • Giftedness and Social Responsibility • Giftedness and Cultural Values • Gifted and Talented Programs and Ethics • the Correlation Between Achievement Level and Opportunity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAA-B-PZpA&feature=related

3. Giftedness and Social Responsibility: • Essential Questions: • Should public school districts be held responsible for identifying varied levels of capability and performance? • Are they obligated to design and teach alternative curricula to accommodate those differences?

4. Current Texas Legislation: • Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented: “HB 1692, filed by Rep. Scott Hochberg of Houston, would require the Texas Education Commissioner to adopt standards for the evaluation of gifted and talented programs. Currently, there are no such standards nor any evaluation of gifted and talented programs done statewide. In addition, the bill would provide a means by which school districts would be able to receive additional money for serving gifted students above the current 5% cap on average daily attendance by providing certain recommended programs or courses approved by the commissioner.” • The most current news on this bill (released June 2009)states that it was approved in it’s first stage and is now awaiting review by the Texas Commissioner of Education.

5. Number Crunching: • Four-fifths (81%) of teachers believe that “our advanced students need special attention – they are the future leaders of this country, and their talents will enable us to compete in a global economy.” (High Achieving Students in the Era of NCLB; 2008) • Up to 20 percent of high school dropouts test in the gifted range. (Handbook of Gifted Education, 2003)

6. Giftedness and Cultural Values: • Essential Questions: • Which “gifts” are coveted most in primary and secondary schools? • What skill sets do you think should be the most highly valued in the public school arena?

7. Giftedness and Cultural Values: • Essential Questions: • Which “gifts” are coveted most in modern American Culture? • How do social perceptions of talent/success effect student values, opinions and attitudes?

8. Ideas in Action: • How can we help ourselves and our students recognize that success and talent come in many forms? • How can we inspire our students to strive for greatness in areas of interest and value to them?

9. Gifted and Talented Programs and Ethics: • Essential Questions: • Could a system that ranks students as either “superior” or, well “not,” have an effect on a student’s morale (positive or negative)? • Is it possible to teach a student at a pace that is too accelerated for a particular age group?

11. the Correlation Between Achievement Level and Opportunity: • Essential Questions: • Do students in poorly funded school districts have the same opportunity to achieve, as those in more affluent districts? • How do a student’s home and life experiences effect their ability to recognize and harbor their talents? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz20cngfGYk

12. Number Crunching: • IQ scores (often used to measure giftedness), of children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds were on average 25 points lower than their counterparts from privileged families. (Bradley and Corwyn 2002). • Over 14 million American students live in poverty • 82% of children who lived with parents with less than a high school diploma live in poverty (http://www.nccp.org/pub_pei04.html). • Only one in 10 students from low-income communities graduates from college

13. Ideas in Action: • Given these statistics regarding the current state of the American public school system, and our “economic climate,” how can you as an educator help diverse student populations (including low-income and minority students) achieve at exceptionally high levels?