Brulles Dina - Designing gifted education programs and services: from purpose to implementation

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Copyright 2017, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Lacy Compton

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ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-682-3

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Like many of us, my journey through gifted land didnt come with directions. I began as a classroom teacher of gifted studentswith no prior education in who they were, their social-emotional needs, learning differences, and so on. During my first years of teaching, I took graduate-level courses in all things gifted. It was truly on-the-job training, or as I say, baptism by lava!

After teaching for 10 years, I felt I knew enough to take on the role of a district coordinator. Again, the expedition was fraught with losing direction, making the wrong turns at the wrong time, and just generally wandering until I found some success. I spent 15 years developing, implementing, and evaluating gifted programs and services, mostly by making a lot of mistakes, going in the wrong direction, and recreating the wheel.

Now, 30 years after I began my travels through gifted land, Scott Peters and Dina Brulles have written the directions I needed so long ago. They have expertly crafted a concise and informative text on the whys, hows, and whats of developing and sustaining quality gifted programs and services. Based on real experiences and substantial research, the authors guide you through the entire process.

Dina Brulles and I became acquainted while attending one of my first National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) annual conferences. We were both directors of gifted programs in suburbs of large cities. We shared many of the same concerns and issues in making sure we were doing the best for our students. I marveled at Dinas energy and commitment to equity and quality. I knew she was someone who was going to make a mark in the field of gifted education.

The NAGC conference is also where I was introduced to Scott Peters. We met while he was working on his Ph.D., specializing in gifted education. He has matured into a strong voice in the field, challenging old assumptions with evidence. Peters makes a clear case for what needs to be changed in our pursuit of appropriate programming and services. His wealth of knowledge regarding effective-practices comes through in this informative text.

Together, they offer you everything you need to know on your journey. Beginning with developing a quality program philosophy, the authors challenge many of the conventions and myths regarding the educational needs of advanced learners. They demonstrate how to bring diverse groups together to agree upon a philosophy of gifted education, how to seek out resources, and how to define which programs and services will best meet the needs of your students.

Each chapter opens with guiding questions that get you thinking about whats to come. During my reading, I found myself thinking back to my own experiences as a coordinator/director of gifted programs. You are sure to find substantial advice for where you want to take your program. provides authentic examples of various programs and service models. No matter the size of your district, you will be able to replicate what others have created.

The authors fresh approach to alleviate unmet academic needs so that every student is appropriately challenged makes this text the most relevant in programming and services for todays gifted population. As a new coordinator/director, you will find each chapter extremely helpful in where to start and what to do. For seasoned coordinators/directors, this book is a solid reminder of how to maintain the quality and equity within your programs and services.

Make Designing Gifted Education Programs and Services your GPS (Gifted Programs and Services) guide. Peters and Brulles offer clear direction in the often-confusing landscape of gifted education. They take much of the guesswork out of the art and science of building, maintaining, and evaluating quality and equitable gifted programs and services.

Richard M. Cash, Ed.D.
Educator, consultant, author of Advancing Differentiation and Self-Regulation in the Classroom, and coauthor of Differentiation for Gifted Learners

INTRODUCTION

THE IMPORTANCE OF A BOARD-APPROVED PLAN

As of the 20142015 school year, 32 states (of the 40 responding to the National Association for Gifted Childrens 2015 State of the States report) had some kind of mandate to identify and serve gifted and talented students enrolled in public schools. Of these states, some (21) monitored the compliance of individual school districts, and at least 18 states required local school districts to submit gifted education plans for approval to the state education agency. This means that there is a strong and ongoing need for guidance regarding the creation and structuring of gifted and talented education plans. These plans help lay out what services are provided, which students receive them, and how gifted education aligns with other aspects of the K12 curriculum. Even for those states where such plans are not required, school districts all around the country are struggling with how to best meet the needs of advanced learners. This issue has become even more prevalent in general education circles as many teachers and schools are beginning to be held accountable for the growth and learning of all studentsincluding those who are already above proficiency. This move toward evaluating educators based on growth has renewed the focus on how to best serve those students who are already proficient. It has also called forth a conversation about how to incorporate gifted and talented education into mainstream education initiatives.

All of this is taking place while the field of gifted education is simultaneously realizing and accepting that what makes for best practice in K12 gifted education can and should look different across different states, districts, and even school buildings. This contemporary view of advanced educational services means that sources of generic best practices are not what is needed. Instead, a process is needed for how local school leaders and stakeholders can develop their own plans for advanced educational services to best meet the needs of their students.