The tempest about gifted education has drowned out some of the historical realities that are intrinsic to this subset of educational interventions. With an abundance of caution, mindful that when we consciously ignore the past are condemned to repeat it, it behooves us to devote a moment to history.
In August 1980, Drs. Sam Goodman and Joy Frechtling, of MCPS, published a study titled “The Minority/Majority Experiences Study, 1978-79: Gifted and Talented Services.”
The authors concluded, among other things, that their “… findings raise serious questions about the process used to select participants for gifted and talented programs.” This conclusion mirrors my own analysis performed in 2007 and published in this venue.
The March 23, 2009 acknowledgement by MCPS “… that GT implementation is inconsistent across our 200 schools” while welcome, begs the question if the matter is being competently and adequately addressed.
It has been thirty-years, yes, THIRTY-YEARS, since these findings were initially made and nothing seems to have changed.
Can a hand-picked advisory committee, meeting in secret, bereft of personnel qualified in gifted and talented personnel, be reasonably expected to competently address a problem, the solution to which has eluded us for thirty-years?
Of course not! But then, that is not the purpose of a hand-picked secret committee. Witness the zoning ordinance 'committee;' hand picked, meeting in secret pretty much. The purpose of these committees is to keep the government secret from the citizens and taxpayers. Get it folks? Now it's up to YOU.
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