Facing Frustration and Fatigue

Dear Friends,
 
Remember that "little" idea I had, way back in July?

Here's a short update on my work with the district.









How do you articulate just a single step above nothing in the written word?

I could have hit publish and written nothing more.

I could have hit 0.

I could have used the words nada, zilch, nil, none, zip, or what the little boy shot at.

But all those signify that nothing has been done--which would be not true.

I've met with a principal, several teachers, many parents, and I have personally called the district and attended (with other parents) meetings with district administrators regarding the possibility of change in MPS's policies, programs, and attitudes toward education for all of our children.  Because that's where this two-year journey has led me.

All of our kids deserve a better education. They all deserve teachers who understand their learning needs. They all deserve to love learning and love thinking.

For all of the time I've spent researching, writing, calling, compiling, meeting, and discussing, what do I have to show for it?

Truthfully--very, very little.

I'm frustrated. And tired. So very, very tired. I've never experienced this level of exhaustion and aggravation on anything I've ever attempted.

The questions I've been asking myself for the past few weeks are these: "Where do I go from here? Who will listen? Who do I call? Who do I write? Who do I petition and beg and cajole and persuade? Who has the power and the guts to make a drastic change in how ALL kids are educated in our district?"

The answer I keep coming up with is discouraging.

The answer I keep coming up with is . . .

I don't know.

Then I come back to this quote that has been taped to my computer monitor for over a year now.

Until very recently, I hadn't ever faced the possibility that, while my ideas are original and good, those who hold all the strings may not agree with me.

They may think I'm wrong. 

What if they do?

What do I do then?

Do I have a Plan B? Do I need a Plan B? Do I even want a Plan B?

I'm an optimist at heart. I have to believe that I've merely planted a seed that is beginning to reach tender shoots toward the sun. I have to believe that out of all the facts I've researched and solutions I've presented--that something will happen. I have to believe that someone somewhere is hearing me and the dozens of parents and children who have trusted me. I have to believe that change is just around the corner.

But . . .

What if it isn't?

Then what?

I don't know.

And I don't like not knowing.

Finally Some News for You

Dear Friends,

Haven’t heard from me for a while, have you?

I have a few developments to share with you.

Two weeks ago, two parents accompanied me to a meeting with three Gifted Education district administrators and Michelle Udall from the MPS School Board. We spent over two hours discussing some of the issues facing gifted kids in MPS. As parents, we presented concerns and problems we have either experienced personally or have heard from other parents, and the district listened. Needs from K-12 were on the table, and while the district is trying to improve all three levels of gifted education, my initial concern is with the elementary grades, predicting that if we improve gifted education from the beginning, these improvements can lead to better programs in the higher grades as well. All three of the administrators had read my research and suggestions for improvement, and this act alone showed me that they take these concerns seriously. They were considerate, well informed, and realistic about what can be addressed immediately and what will take time—and what may be outside the realm of possibility.

I have never publicly published my findings from my research or my plan for improvement, mostly because I was waiting for district input to see if what I had suggested was even going to be addressed. Some of my suggestions were eliminated, but others are being considered. Here is a quick summary of what we discussed:

·      Research shows that cluster grouping children by ability in the regular classroom benefits not only the gifted in the classrooms but all children. Although my own personal opinion is that test scores are not the best way to measure a child’s learning, test scores are the major benchmark used by the district. Cluster grouping has been shown to raise test scores of all students when taught effectively. If cluster grouping raises test scores across the board, then implementing it in MPS elementary classrooms seems to be logical and reasonable.

·      Optimal program implementation would include one gifted-certified or gifted-trained teacher in each grade (K-6) in every elementary school in MPS. Gifted students would be clustered in that classroom. Pull-out programs once a week for gifted education would still be in place.

·      MPS Gifted Education administrators agree that cluster grouping is a successful program in other districts, but their concern is possible push back from teachers, principals, and parents who don’t fully understand how the program works. This obstacle can be overcome by giving everyone involved the statistics and full explanations of how the program works—and how it benefits everyone’s child, not just the gifted child.

·      Michelle Udall has asked district administrators for an estimate on how much it would cost to train existing teachers so that one gifted-trained or gifted-certified teacher was available at each grade level in every elementary school. The district is working toward getting us that number.

·      Teachers of the gifted would have their workloads dramatically cut (in some cases, by 2/3) by clustering the gifted kids in one classroom.

·      Cluster grouping students in K-2 will provide services for students who are currently not receiving gifted services. (Identification in K would rest on a parent-completed survey before school starts. While not completely reliable, such a survey would go a long way toward intervening as early as possible with our youngest students.)

·      Gifted education in MPS should include some social skills training.

·      It may be helpful to alter the name of the gifted program to something else, so that others don’t feel threatened or alienated or excluded from some “club.” Being born gifted is just that—kids are born that way—and their needs in the classroom are different from other students’ needs.

At the conclusion of the meeting, I asked MPS where we could anticipate things going from this point. Cris Barnett, the department head, said that she was currently researching social skills curriculum to use in the gifted classrooms as a reference. My suggestion was that we find a way to include social skills training as a required part of the program, and they agreed to look into it. She also stated that she would talk to Dr. Suzan DePrez, Assistant Superintendent over gifted education, about our meeting and ask her to investigate the cluster grouping suggestion, possibly finding schools who would be willing to act as pilot schools. Before adjourning, I told the administration that I had dozens of parents who were hoping for improvement in the gifted program and were waiting to hear the results of our meetings.

I left this meeting feeling positive about our efforts.

They listened. And they heard us.

You’ve been asking what you can do to help. This is what you can do.

First, take some time to acquaint yourself with the MPS website for gifted education. It is difficult to find from MPS’s home page, but here’s the link:

http://www.mpsaz.org/gtp/ Familiarize yourself with the program and with what MPS is trying to do. List any questions or suggestions you may have.

Second, email MPS gifted administrators. Email them your concerns, your wishes for the future, and that you support our efforts. Cris Barnett, the head of the department, has no email listed on the MPS website, but Lawson Donald, the head of gifted curriculum and instruction, can be reached at ladonald@mpsaz.org , Dr. Suzie DePrez, assistant superintendent, can be reached at sdeprez@mpsaz.org , and Cindy Ketterer, department specialist, can be reached at cketterer@mpsaz.org . Also, call or email your principal and your gifted classroom and regular classroom teachers. Ask them what they’re doing to differentiate and serve the needs of the gifted kids in their regular classrooms. Let them know that you appreciate their difficult job in serving the needs of gifted kids and that you would be happy to help them any way you can.

Third, speak out to parents whose kids have not been identified as gifted. Explain to them that it’s not an elite club or a gateway to AP classes in high school. It’s a program designed to meet the academic needs of a small percentage of kids. And if you have any great suggestions on how to educate the general public about gifted education, I’d love to hear them. I’m currently trying to think of a different title for the program that would appear less elitist—one idea is “Think Tank,” since the primary focus of the elementary program is teaching our kids better thinking skills. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Finally, if you do send emails, please forward them to me so that I can compile them for my next meeting with the district. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Please take the time to do this in the next few days. I will be calling the district on Tuesday to set up our next meeting, and the more they can hear from concerned parents before I call, the better. If you are interested in attending this (or a future) meeting with me, let me know by email and I’ll see what I can do.

Thanks for your support in this endeavor. Thanks for loving your gifted kids and working and fighting for what is best for them. If you have any questions, please email me.

Thanks,

Jenny

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I enrolled in ASU’s Gifted Education master’s program in August of 2013. I have learned more than I ever imagined about our gifted kids, and their welfare and education have become my passion. I breathe it, I sleep it, I write it, and most important—I believe in it.

Gifted kids are a special breed. Caught between adult intellectual abilities and childlike social skills, they come to public education with complicated needs. Some are teacher pleasers, while others are so bored with what is being taught that they become disruptions in class. Some need accelerated teaching, while others crave slowing things down and digging deep into the core of complicated subjects.

Public education is in flux. Common Core State Standards, standardized testing, No Child Left Behind—it’s hard to know what is best in the classrooms. While MPS learners in the bottom 2% of the achievement scale (or two years behind grade level) are afforded government-funded special education, MPS elementary students in the top 2% (or two to four years ahead of grade level) are generally expected to adjust to grade-level curriculum in a program devoid of any financial support. The problem is that gifted kids aren’t gifted just once a week. They’re gifted all day, every day, and requiring a gifted child to slow down their learning process is as unfair to them as it is to require a student on the bottom of the scale to think at the pace of the fastest student—it isn’t mentally possible for either child.

MPS is the largest school district in the state, and while programs are in place that should address the needs of our gifted kids, these programs often fall short of the intended goals. Students and parents are deserting MPS (and public school altogether) as they desperately search for a program that will fit the unique needs of gifted kids. Other districts in the state have created programs that do serve these unique needs—even in these budget-conscious times. My dream is to turn things around—to make MPS the state’s standard for gifted education and meeting the needs of the gifted.

I’m here to tell you that it’s possible. I am putting together presentations for the Gifted Education Department’s curriculum and instruction administrators—including a plan to do the following: 1) formally evaluate the current program, 2) create a “vision committee” (a committee that includes parents) to discuss improvement, 3) increase teacher training and understanding of the gifted in their classes, 4) increase the amount of time gifted kids receive appropriate curriculum every day, with gifted programs in place at every school, and 5) provide individual gifted kids with the support and acceptance they need to reach their highest potential. While still in the beginning stages, my hope is that all will be in order so that I can present this information at the beginning of August.

I am asking for your help.

First and foremost, we need to get the attention of those in charge, and parents are the perfect people to do it. Who better understands the needs of our kids? Who better sees how these needs are currently not being met? Who better? There is no one better. As a group that will advocate for the special needs of gifted kids, we can be a strong voice for those who need to hear.

I have formed a group called For Mesa’s Gifted Kids that needs your support. If we can assemble a core group that is asking for change, then I hope the administration will listen. Starting with the tabs across the top of this page, please take the time to read through this website and sign the petition, adding your voice that MPS should reevaluate how our gifted kids’ needs are being met. More resources are located in the side bar.

Other districts in the valley have faced similar issues, and with the help of parents, school board members, and gifted education administrators, programs in districts like Paradise Valley, Gilbert, Tucson, and Deer Valley have become magnets for the gifted. As untenable as it may sound in the era of high stakes testing and No Child Left Behind, I know that this transformation is possible.

Jenny Denton