Dr. Elissa F. Brown Rutgers Gifted Education Conference 11/19/2015 [email protected].
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Transcript of Dr. Elissa F. Brown Rutgers Gifted Education Conference 11/19/2015 [email protected].
Politics and Realities of Gifted Education Administration:Challenges, Considerations and Solutions
Dr. Elissa F. BrownRutgers Gifted Education Conference11/19/[email protected]
Equity and Excellence
We, as educational leaders,
need to redefineequity.
Competing Demands
4
Think, Pair, Share
Notes on Gifted Education Priorities in your school/district
Notes on other Education Priorities in your school/district
Have you ever heard the following? Don’t worry about the gifted students,
they’ll be fine on their own. They basically teach themselves.
I don’t want the gifted students in my class, because I don’t want to deal with those parents.
My GT students won’t be able to come to you (pull-out resource) today because we are preparing for the state test.
All my teachers know how to differentiate
The Educational Political Landscape
No Child Left Behind refocuses attention on low end learnersStandards movement has become assessment-drivenEquity and Excellence still viewed as dichotomiesTensions between tradition and innovationRacial disparities have not abated (closing the gap)Competing values between standardization and personalization
Data
Poor children arrive at school less prepared.
80,000 students per grade (K-5) qualify for free or reduced lunch and perform in the top quartile academically.
Data reveal a 13 point gap in reading scores between low income-high achieving vs. higher income peers as they progress throughout elementary school
Reality: Educational Disparities among High Achievers
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
The Excellence Gap
E. Brown, Hunter College, 2014
Positive Aspects of Standards Common coherent elements Consensually derived from the
disciplines and education Consonant with many strategies of
differentiation and creativity Teacher latitude in implementation Represent “real world” vision of adult
competencies
Negative Aspects of Standards
Lack of piloting and revision Lack of translation models Lack of consonant assessments Lack of consistent translation from
national projects Politicization and resultant polarities
Leading in the “middle”What ought to be What isResponsible for ensuring quality of gifted identification, program, advocacy
Do not have direct supervision of teachers, respond to multiple principals, & psychologists typically won’t test GT
Assumption around knowing best practices and current research, extending and enriching CC standards
Often not certified or licensed in gifted. Limited PD, hard to know “who to call” ,Which curriculum to be employed, pedagogical strategies
Parents want “the best” Schools comply with appropriateness
Pressure for GT program to be “different”
Define “different”
Need resources; human capital and materials
Limited or no funding
Ensure comprehensive, oversight, & delivery of coherent program (documents, procedures, outcomes)
No mandate/external pressure or priority
Teacher & Coordinator All things to all people
Urban Contexts
Supports Barriers
Rich resources in the form of museums, libraries, universities, and research laboratories abound in urban settings, along with the human capital to make them superb learning laboratories for a city’sbest students at different stages of development.
Resources in the urban community frequently are not easily accessed, many times due to psychologicalrather than physical distance for poorand minority families.
Cities offer a critical mass of students required for program development, which helps to justify need and provides easier implementation.
School environments in urban centers may be bureaucratic and rigid, thwarting attempts to innovate for any population.
Urban Contexts Supports Barriers
Urban settings offer a palette on which comprehensive programs and services can be effected, offering a scope and sequence of alternativepathways for curriculum design and development for the best learners in these contexts
Although choices abound in urbaneducation, choices may not be wellunderstood by families who lack thedata to make the right decisions based on their child’s giftedness.
Multiple ethnicities can create barriers in cities that prohibit the positive mixing of diverse groups and make gifted education a political rather than an educational issue.
What does it mean to be gifted in your school district?
Philosophy--- Inclusive? Exclusive? Continuum of services spanning both?
Definition?– What does it mean to be gifted in your division? Does this allow for equal access for all learners?
Goals for your program?---What are you seeking to accomplish in your program?
Key Linkages of Special Education and
General Education in Program Development for the
GiftedGifted
Education
General Educatio
n
Special Educatio
n
CurriculumEvaluationInstructional ProcessesPhilosophy & GoalsMaterials/Resources
Identification/AssessmentProgram AdministrationGrouping StrategiesTeacher TrainingAdvocacy
Program Components for Gifted Learners: Pieces of the Puzzle
Program Management
Identification
PersonnelPreparation
Program &Service Provisions
Tools: NAGC PreK-12 Program Standards & PD standards
Education should ask more of gifted children than that they be walking memory banks. They must also be problem solvers and creative thinkers; and they will not reach that goal by passively soaking up more information.
-James J. Gallagher
Optimal Match
Student profile and identification linked to relevant services
Levels of giftedness matched to the level of course rigor
Amount of contact time necessary for growth
Social-Emotional Support Mechanisms
Counseling SupportBibliotherapyDeveloping Emotional IntelligenceService Learning
Academic Guidance and Career Counseling
Assessment of strengths, values, and interests
Course-taking in mathematics and science
Opportunities for mentorships/internships Access to AP, IB, and/or dual enrollment
Professional Development
Change inCLASSROOMPRACTICES
Change in STUDENTLEARNING
Change inTEACHERS’ATTITUDES& BELIEFS
A Model of Teacher Change
Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
25
Importance of Alignment
Alignment is an even stronger predicator of student achievement
on standardized tests than are socioeconomic status, gender,
race, and teacher effect.
(Elmore & Rothman, 1999; Mitchell, 1998; Wishnick, 1989)
Action Planning for Gifted Education
Insert District mission statement District Strategic Goal 1: District Strategic Goal 2: District Strategic Goal 3:
Aligned with school district’s strategic mission and goals
“Collateral victims are a society and economy that thereby fail to make
the most of latent human capital. It’s not elitist to pour more resources
into educating our brightest kids. In fact, the future of the country may
depend on it.”
-Chester E. FinnPresident, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Results