Gifted and Talented Classes and Programs, are they essential?

According to the National Society for the Gifted and Talented, the emphasis put on raising test scores has made a significant decline in programs for high performing and excelling students. It has also spurred a negative attitude in our society towards these types of programs. Their website has many resourves including how to recognize and define a gifted or talented child. Below is a quote from their website page about defining such a student;

"Children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment."

- US Department of Education, 1993.

This definition is the broadest and most comprehensive. It is used by many school districts. It speaks of talent, which includes all areas of a child's life academic, artistic, athletic, and social.

http://www.nsgt.org/articles/index.asp

Another website, http://www.giftedstudy.org/, lists areas, dates, and age levels for summer and winter day camps and programs. It also has resources for families, educators, and students. On ther other side of this arguement, many teachers and parents feel that the l abel of 'gifted and talented' can be limiting and somewhat damaging to their students. What I found in my research, was that there is little actual facts or studies to back this up, just parents and teachers personal opinions and feelings on the matter. One thing I did find however was in an article from March 9, 2011. http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/03092011/montnew184800_32540.php

"Cartland and other critics say the Gifted and Talented, or GT, label is damaging students because

it ends up dividing them along racial lines and makes those who don't get identified as Gifted and Talented — typically about 60 percent of students — feel inferior. They also argue that what constitutes Gifted and Talented curriculum in Montgomery County Public Schools, such as critical reading skills and research projects, should be taught to all students."

Stanford University Professor and acclaimed developmental psychology researcher, Carol Dweck, Ph.D

This link will show a professor, whose ideals make the arguements against the label of "gifted and talented" a little more clear. This link will take you to an article by Jonathan Fields, http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/is-gifted-and-talented-a-life-sentence/, he takes from the ideal in a book by Prof. Dweck and comes to the conclusion that maybe there is a middle ground between the two sides. Here is an excerpt of a conversation between Fields and Dweck.

"So, I asked Professor Dweck:

From what you’ve written, it sounds like the net effect of installing a separate track for “gifted and talented” kids, then labeling them as such may be destructive to both the kids intentionally labeled and those inadvertently labeled “not gifted and talented” by default. I wonder whether you might be kind enough to share your thoughts on this topic

And, in short order, Professor Dweck shared this kind reply:

Actually, I don’t have a strong position against gifted programs per se. I believe that all children need to be challenged at school. I am concerned, however, when the “gift” is portrayed as a fixed trait and the label becomes a symbol of worth. Students may then care more about the label than about learning–they may become afraid to take on challenges or make mistakes.

I also don’t like the word “gift.” It implies that abilities are simply bestowed from on high, that some students have them and some don’t, and that students have no role to play in developing them. Yet, researchers are beginning to agree that giftedness and talent are quite dynamic and can flourish at any time under the right circumstances (or wither under the wrong ones). Research is also showing the enormous role of dedication, practice, and resilience in the development of talent.

So, any gifted program should focus on teaching students how to challenge themselves, seek learning, value and enjoy effort, and recover from setbacks. This is what they need to develop their abilities. Then again, these lessons would help all students develop their abilities."

In my own opinion, as a student who was in a gifted and talented program myself for most of elementary school, I think that the only down side I experienced was in social interaction with my peers. Being in a gifted class all day long was not beneficial to me in a social situation because I only interacted with six other children and one teacher. When my gifted program became a pull out system, where I only went to the gifted room for one subject/class a day it was better. Also, I think my being in a regular classroom helped the other students, because they could use me as a resource and learn from me as well as the teacher. The benefits from being in the gifted program were many including the fact that I was exposed to many different talents, learned at a pace and in a way that I understood better, and that I was encouraged to be inquisitive.