Is it true we have cut our 'Gifted and Talented' funding?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

I hope that this isn't the case as we should nurture and assist gifted students. Is more funding coming to G and T?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091121/ap_on_re_us/us_gifted_education

[FBaggins]

1. Depends on who "we" is

if "we" is the federal government than there isn't much of anything TO cut.

But there are many localities where funding has been cut (or even eliminated) for GT programs because they don't have enough funds.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. is there going to be more fed funding?

[FBaggins]

3. I haven't seen any proposals for it... but I doubt it.

These days, the politically popular education spending is anything that can "close" a "gap" in "failing schools" or kids in need.

But that's ok (IMO), as education is not properly a federal thing. We can see the trouble plenty of educators here have with some of the federal mandates that have come down the pike in both this administration and the last.

This is really something where parents (and other citizens who care) can play a role. School boards and county/state governments can be judges by how seriously they take the education of not just the disadvantaged... but the potential gems of the next generation.

Education is the key to advancing one generation beyond the previous one in poor families. This is America (at least for a little while yet) where the janitor's daughter can become a CEO... but the janitor can't afford the private school with the advanced programs. She should have an opportunity to shine.

Now... I suspect that many here will disagree... but I don't think the federal government can do much to help... unless they just want to write a big check without attached strings (and really... how likely is that?)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. what about countries like Canada and NZ

how do they fund their gifted students?

[FBaggins]

5. Canada is largely handled by provinces

and varies (last I saw) from province to province. Alberta, for instance, includes funding for "special education needs" (which includes both ends of the spectrum) within their overall funding and uses essentially the same per-capita funding as for mild/moderate disabled kids.

Don't know about NZ.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. why doesn't the USA emphasize gifted education?

surely we need to cater for gifted as well as the general classroom and disabilities.

[FBaggins]

7. I don't think that it's fair to say that we don't.

As I said... it just isn't a federal issue. Education is almost entirely funded at the state and local level... so you can judge how much "we" emphasize gifted education on a case-by-case basis. I'm sure there were counties that cut GT funding where it was like pulling teeth, but they just didn't have enough money to provide basic services... and there were counties that cut that first as if it were the "fat" in the budget.

We now have a basis to judge.

I went to a great sci/tech magnet school that had tons of AP courses (back when you couldn't take AP home ec and AP basket weaving) a robotics lab... CADD lab, electron microscope, mainframe computer lab (and on and on) and where roughly 75% of the kids were National Merit semifinalists... and everyone went to good colleges. I'd say somebody[/b[ cared and emphasized gifted education... but it was all local/state funding (along with corporate donations)