Are Schools Failing Our Gifted Children?
Are Schools Failing Our Gifted Children? Wednesday August 22, 2007#spacer{clear:left}#abc #sidebar{margin-top:1.5em}zSB(3,3)The answer many of us have to this question is a resounding “YES!” John Cloud, a writer for Time magazine is one of those who answer “yes” and he discusses the problem in his article “Are We Failing Our Geniuses?” Here are some facts he uses to support his view: • The drop out rate for gifted students is the same as that of non-gifted students (5%) • American schools spend over $8 billion a year on education for the mentally challenged, but spend only $800 million a year, at most, on gifted education. • It is no easier for kids whose IQs are three standard deviations above the mean (145+) to learn at the same rate as and to interact with average kids as it is for those whose IQs are three standard deviations below the mean (55). • Teaching a student with an IQ of 160 at the same pace as
