What to look for when choosing a school for a gifted child

[TerryW]

Carolyn,

What are five or so things parents can look for when selecting a school for their gifted children --  - the types of things that provide good clues to a the school's ability to meet the needs of gifted learners? 

[carolyncoil]

Hi Terry,

This is another great question and a really important one for parents in an age of school choice.  Here are things I would look for:

1. Schools that have both a willingness and a plan to meet the needs of individual students in the classroom.  Some schools give lip service to this goal but have no way to implement it.  Make sure the school can do this in practice.

2. Schools that are flexible about grade level.  "Grade level" is a rather archaic concept in any case, especially for gifted students.  For example, I would want a school that would allow my gifted third grader to do 5th grade math if that is appropriate to meet his needs.

3. Schools that are NOT focused solely on test scores and the needs of below-grade-level learners.  Schools have been judged on the test scores of various sub-groups of learners since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed in 2002.  Guess what?  The only sub-group of students not included in this Federal Law was gifted students.  Schools are punished if they don't bring up the test scores of various subgroups of students.  Gifted students are the ones left behind when this happens.

4. Schools that are well-rounded in their course offerings.  I would look for a school that has art, music, physical education, science, library, computer time, etc. as part of a wide and varied curriculum.  Many schools concentrate only on reading, writing and math again due to NCLB.  These subjects are NOT "frills" and need to be part of the curriculum for gifted children.

5. Schools that have educational leaders (principal, assistant principal, curriculum director) who are trained in Gifted Education and/or are aware of the unique needs of gifted students.  These people set the agenda and the tone of the school.  They need to know about not only the academic needs of gifted children but also about their social and emotional needs.  If they have this background, it is much more likely that the school as a whole will be responsive to the needs of gifted.

Parents, feel free to ask questions of the school leaders and teachers.  Find out how they can meet your child's individual needs!

[TerryW]

Those are some very good clues, Carolyn, especially the level of gifted expertise/coursework/advanced degrees of the administration and staff. 

I also like to find out how many or what percentage of a school's students are identified as gifted. In general, I believe that the greater the percentage of gifted students (and parents!), the more the administration is "pushed" into providing appropriate services.

[carolyncoil]

I like your addition to the list, Terry!

For the rest of you reading this, what can you add?

[immadiaCy]

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