NAGC works to support those who enhance the growth and development of gifted and talented children through education, advocacy, community building, and research
The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015 is an exciting development for parents, teachers, school leaders, and others who believe U.S. schools should meet the needs of high-ability students. The ESSA revised and reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), previously known as the No Child Left Behind Act.
For the first time in history, our main U.S. education law (ESSA/ESEA) now includes provisions that support gifted and talented students. This positive development was achieved through years of federal advocacy by NAGC, gifted state affiliate organizations, members of Congress, educators, parents, and others who support gifted education. These longstanding efforts to bolster congressional support for the TALENT Act (To Aid gifted and high-ability Learners by Empowering the Nation’s Teachers Act) and increase funding for the Javits Program (a federal program that provides grants for gifted education research), finally resulted in the addition of positive measures for high-ability students into the ESSA.
What are the new provisions and what do they mean?
Title II of ESSA focuses on professional development for teachers and school leaders. Federal funds (approximately $3 billion) are distributed to states through a formula; in turn, the states provide subgrants to school districts. Two new required provisions and one new “allowable use” of Title II funds are relevant for gifted education:
Title I of ESSA governs the distribution of around $15 billion in federal education money to states and school districts serving disadvantaged students. While Title I made no mention of gifted and talented students in the past, it now has two provisions that are relevant to gifted students:
Two other ESSA provisions of note for advanced learners:
ESSA has restored accountability for student achievement to the states, but:
What can parents do to capitalize on this opportunity?
These changes to ESSA provide parents of high-ability students with a timely opportunity to engage their local schools and districts in conversations about how the federal requirements will be met. Here are some ways parents can elevate the conversation now:
Talk to your child’s superintendent and school board about what their plans are to use federal funds to identify and serve advanced learners and to provide professional development in the proven educational strategies listed in Title II. If your school district receives Title I funds due to its percentage of low-income students, your teachers and administrators may need to be educated about the fact that there are high-ability students in poor communities and that funds are now explicitly available for supporting these students.
It may be more efficient and effective to work with other parents than raise these questions on your own. You might check the school board calendar for the next public hearing where these questions could be posed as a group. Parents with some knowledge of gifted education strategies could volunteer to serve on a committee.
Find out who controls Title I and II funding decisions in your state because they may need to be informed about the changes to the law. Ask questions about who will be responsible for notifying schools that they can use Title I and Title II funds to identify and serve gifted students.
Contact your state gifted organization, if one exists, to find out what it is doing to help educate policymakers and power-holders in the state about these new requirements. Understand that the 2016-17 school year will mark a big transition, with applications for federal grant programs beginning in July 2016 and state accountability plans going into effect in the 2017-18 school year. Asking questions and gathering information is the place to start.
Write letters to key stakeholders, such as your state superintendent or prominent newspapers, about how the state education agency will change its practice in response to the changes in federal law in order to draw attention to this subject.
Search your networks for parents who may have connections to education reporters in the state. Parents could contact those reporters/columnists and suggest that the new changes in ESSA with respect to gifted and talented children would make an interesting article/column.
While the incorporation of language about advanced learners is a huge success for the gifted education community, the timing is right for parents and advocates to draw attention to these provisions and to monitor their implementation in order for tangible benefits to be realized by high-ability students.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn E. Welch is an attorney whose practice involves educational advocacy on behalf of students with various needs and abilities. Her work includes representing low-income students and families from the city of Chicago to help ensure that their educational needs are met. She is an advocate for gifted children, serving as an officer of the Midwest Center for the Gifted, a member of the Parent Editorial Content and Advisory Board of the National Association for Gifted Children, and formerly the Advocacy Committee Co-Chair of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children. Carolyn received her JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.