Hello Dear Teach Friends,
I have been trying to sort the swirl of mental meanderings in my head today, and thought I would delve into some cursory research on best educational practices for high achieving learners to help narrow the focus of my internal debate.
As I sat in the Board meeting last night [Tuesday, January 15] and was profoundly struck by the lack of depth and consideration with regard to this topic while broad policy decisions were being considered. As I listened to "Twenty years ago, I sent my kid to my neighborhood school and (s)he was is just fine," and "All our schools are wonderful...these kids will be just fine;" I have to admit, I was simply stunned at the seeming low level of rationale for proposed actions. While well intentioned, these comments seem to highlight a very large gap in knowledge about the specific needs of our high achieving student population. As such, I believe that we, as well meaning parents, are now commissioned with the daunting task of advocacy for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) in our district if we want to make a meaningful impact on the Board about Teach.
Knowledge is power right? Perhaps we can elevate the discussion so that they might make a more informed decision based on best educational practices. Therefore, I have been spending my evening gathering articles and research to refute this ongoing myth that the high achieving kids at Teach will be "just fine" in the regular ed classrooms with differentiated instruction. I am hoping to continue the conversation with you all, and thought I would share some articles and research that might help you and I become better informed in this debate. Some of the material is a bit steeped in educational research, but you can read the executive summaries to glean the basic tenets. I assure you, if you take the time to delve into some of this reading, your passion for our cause will be ignited, and you will be equipped with a strong voice.
As I told Dan today, I have such a heart for those little folks, and believe that we need to be investing in excellence. Read on dear friends, and see what excellence looks like.
Best,
Kate O'Shea-Poeschl
PS. I also attached some sample letters to the editor from the nagc.org website if anyone does find their strong voice! :)
I have been trying to sort the swirl of mental meanderings in my head today, and thought I would delve into some cursory research on best educational practices for high achieving learners to help narrow the focus of my internal debate.
As I sat in the Board meeting last night [Tuesday, January 15] and was profoundly struck by the lack of depth and consideration with regard to this topic while broad policy decisions were being considered. As I listened to "Twenty years ago, I sent my kid to my neighborhood school and (s)he was is just fine," and "All our schools are wonderful...these kids will be just fine;" I have to admit, I was simply stunned at the seeming low level of rationale for proposed actions. While well intentioned, these comments seem to highlight a very large gap in knowledge about the specific needs of our high achieving student population. As such, I believe that we, as well meaning parents, are now commissioned with the daunting task of advocacy for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) in our district if we want to make a meaningful impact on the Board about Teach.
Knowledge is power right? Perhaps we can elevate the discussion so that they might make a more informed decision based on best educational practices. Therefore, I have been spending my evening gathering articles and research to refute this ongoing myth that the high achieving kids at Teach will be "just fine" in the regular ed classrooms with differentiated instruction. I am hoping to continue the conversation with you all, and thought I would share some articles and research that might help you and I become better informed in this debate. Some of the material is a bit steeped in educational research, but you can read the executive summaries to glean the basic tenets. I assure you, if you take the time to delve into some of this reading, your passion for our cause will be ignited, and you will be equipped with a strong voice.
As I told Dan today, I have such a heart for those little folks, and believe that we need to be investing in excellence. Read on dear friends, and see what excellence looks like.
Best,
Kate O'Shea-Poeschl
PS. I also attached some sample letters to the editor from the nagc.org website if anyone does find their strong voice! :)
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Meet the school board.
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Please feel free to add comments here. The previous post lists the board meeting dates and can be followed by suggestions to alleviate our overcrowding issue at both schools. I'm sure Bishop's Peak parents would be glad to have some help here, as their school is very crowded as well.
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