Giftedness refers to exceptional aptitude. Gifted children demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more areas. Gifted children often develop skills unevenly. Their cognitive development may be ahead of their physical and emotional growth. High-ability students differ from typical students in terms of potential, complexity of understanding and learning style. This difference from typical children means that gifted students need education programs that are modified to meet their needs.
Many gifted children with exceptional aptitude do not demonstrate outstanding levels of achievement because of environmental circumstances. They may have limited opportunities to learn as a result of an inadequate educational environment, discrimination or cultural barriers.
Children who demonstrate high performance require services and programs specifically for them. The right educational experiences can help these children fully develop their talents. The problem is that there is not a federal mandate for public schools to provide gifted education. As a result, there is often little if any funding provided to local schools for gifted education. The common view that gifted students do not need specialized services contributes to gifted education not being prioritized. As a result, many gifted students lack the support they need to achieve at high levels. This is a disservice both to the gifted child and to the nation.
Most gifted students spend the majority of their kindergarten through 12th-grade education in a regular classroom. They are usually taught by teachers who have not been trained to teach high-aptitude students. For these students, much of the time they spend in school is wasted. They have already grasped the material and are spending time waiting for the other students to catch up. The problem is that many of them become bored. This can lead to acting-out behaviors. Many times, gifted kids do not fit in with their peers because of their differences. As a result, they may be bullied or teased and develop depression and other psychological issues.
Without appropriate interventions, gifted children may never realize their full potential in a traditional school setting. The school situation for high-potential students from minority backgrounds is especially troublesome. Data from every state reveal large gaps at the top achievement levels between white and minority students. These gaps indicate schools often fail to identify high-ability students of multi-cultural backgrounds and provide the support needed to these students reach the high levels of achievement of which they are capable. A tremendous amount of talent is being wasted.
Private schools, weekend and summer enrichment programs can help compensate for what other schools fail to provide. These programs can help ensure that gifted children receive educational opportunities that are tailored to meet their specific needs. This can help every gifted child realize their full potential.
If you are reading this on anything other than OakCrestAcademy.org, it is stolen content.
If you are interested in learning more about Oak Crest Academy, visit our website here.
Keep up with our blog for more news and information here.
