tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post1384840205059562220..comments2024-03-28T23:38:22.511-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Conversation on HCC - Part OneMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23460436273946100942017-07-14T17:27:22.484-07:002017-07-14T17:27:22.484-07:00YB, I like that better "white advantage."...YB, I like that better "white advantage."Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63632930642115847902017-07-14T15:53:44.488-07:002017-07-14T15:53:44.488-07:00Meant to state take a step back if grew up in fost...Meant to state take a step back if grew up in foster home etc. Anyway interesting activity so that when you look around room you understand the diversity of people in the room with relative advantages or disadvatages. I think it would be eye opening for many. Also, I think the term "white privilege" should be renamed to "white advantage" as privilege already has a meaning related to class. I think it would help more understand its true intended meaning. <br />-YBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74641805566085171182017-07-14T08:37:17.921-07:002017-07-14T08:37:17.921-07:00"People do pussyfoot around white privilege. ..."People do pussyfoot around white privilege. Not just on this blog, but all over this country, this continent, and a couple of other continents that come to mind. <br />So here's Gina Crosely-Corcoran's Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person..."<br />@MLK gifted- The essay is one explanation. Here is another as to why some people are confused or uncomfortable with the term, the word "privilege" already has a meaning. <br /><br />It has historically meant someone who is "class privileged." So when you talk about white privilege people correlate this to the historical meaning of class privilege or being born wealthy. Class privilege is extremely powerful and does not get enough attention in these discussions. <br /><br />Also, some people seem to just focus more heavily on racial privilege as opposed to other forms of privilege such as class, able bodied or gender etc. They all influence our relative advantage in society. I think we need to understand people as individuals with unique advantages and disadvantages. In college my husband did an exercise take a step forward if your parents went to college, grew up in a foster home, mother was a teenager when she had you, etc etc. He ended up far in the back behind many black and brown students although he identifies as white (he also has black heritage). It was interesting.<br />- YB<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3910596506764836202017-07-13T17:56:43.857-07:002017-07-13T17:56:43.857-07:00No, it's not racist because people believe tha...No, it's not racist because people believe that candidates elected are both qualified AND their backgrounds will lend to understanding of issues. Who is in HCC is something I think all of them are interested in especially Blanford who pontificates loudly on these issues. <br /><br />They could be a starting point because for a white member of the Board to do that would bring "oh, this is all he/she cares about, blah,blah." <br /><br />Absolutely AL should be doing something and that's another mystery that I've called out for years. <br /><br />Eckstein Parent, here's the thing on that issue. My understanding/belief is that the directors have regions in order to both know that region (live there) and know the schools in the region (in order to be the resident expert on the Board). It would be nigh impossible for any one director to know 100 schools well. So, if you have a region-specific issue, go to that region's director.<br /><br />But the directors are elected city-wide and therefore represent all schools. <br /><br />I think the beauty versus intelligence argument is silly because:<br />- born beauty is something you just inherit from your parents. Intelligent parents can help but that's more the nurture thing than nature thing. You can develop intelligence to a degree that you can't with beauty.<br />- beauty fades but intelligence can extend on and on<br />- intelligence is probably more important but beauty can be terribly influential. But again, that's a finite period.<br /><br />I personally don't find the equivalency to make any sense especially not in the context of the discussion. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18313861300978624562017-07-13T17:01:37.795-07:002017-07-13T17:01:37.795-07:00Don't the board members represent kids who liv...Don't the board members represent kids who live in the specific regions they represent, not all kids?Eckstein Parentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51609873832046012702017-07-13T16:56:51.062-07:002017-07-13T16:56:51.062-07:00"How come Blanford, Patu and Pinkham haven..."How come Blanford, Patu and Pinkham haven't joined forces to give this effort for kids of color to be in the program? That's my mystery."<br /><br />First that's racist to say that the non-white board members or the Latino Super have any special responsibility towards kids of color.<br /><br />ALL board members and staff represent ALL kids.<br /><br />So the appropriate question is: why doesn't SPS and the board as a whole change this?<br /><br />If anyone should be leading the charge it's the AL Dept.<br /><br />Comparing two gifts of nature, beauty and intelligence, is the "...most ridiculous thing I have heard in a long, long time."?<br /><br />Please explain<br /><br />Curious CougarAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-78114277553572688552017-07-13T14:29:06.018-07:002017-07-13T14:29:06.018-07:00The district enrollment has not just grown over th...The district enrollment has not just grown over the past 10 years, but it has experienced some significant demographic shifts. Helmstetter's observations about changes in his neighborhood reflect some of these shifts. From 2005 to 2015, the number of students identifying as "White" has gone from around 18,900 to around 24,800. <br /><br />Percent change from 2010 to 2015 (based on OSPI data): <br /><br />Hispanic / Latino of any race(s) +10%<br />American Indian / Alaskan Native -76%<br />Asian -13%<br />Black / African American -10%<br />Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander -15%<br />White +18%<br />Two or More Races +55%<br /><br />Percent change from 2005 to 2015 <br /><br />Hispanic / Latino of any race(s) +19%<br />American Indian / Alaskan Native -192%<br />Black / African American -24%<br />White +24%<br /><br />Please note families could not select "Two or More Races" or "Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander" until 2010, so the percent change may be partially a reflection of those changes.<br /><br />more numbersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40952595930766860552017-07-13T13:53:28.347-07:002017-07-13T13:53:28.347-07:00"Comparing academic giftedness to physical be..."Comparing academic giftedness to physical beauty is much more appropriate."<br /><br />The most ridiculous thing I have heard in a long, long time.<br /><br />"The privilege that whites enjoy will not be given up easily by most."<br /><br />But why put it in those terms? What about recognition that all people deserve rights, privileges, access, etc.? I don't see change as a zero sum game.<br /><br />"..failure to include certain non-white populations creates disparity in the distribution of the advantages which derive from grouping gifted students and is but one of many examples of white privilege."<br /><br />But is that the fault of parents who don't control the system in the least (we all know that)? How come we had a Latino superintendent who did nothing? How come Blanford, Patu and Pinkham haven't joined forces to give this effort for kids of color to be in the program? That's my mystery. <br /><br />Because many of us have complained for years and years on this issue and crickets.<br /><br />MLK Gifted and Go High said..., two word names, please. That's too long<br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36087126727142166242017-07-13T12:31:59.770-07:002017-07-13T12:31:59.770-07:00Kiley said:
White privilege is very real and very...Kiley said: <br /><i>White privilege is very real and very damaging to black kids and brown kids. Past and current treatment of these groups effects the chances of being found to be gifted. IQ and CogAt tests and programs like we have in Seattle, perpetuate the past injustices towards people of color. The privilege that whites enjoy will not be given up easily by most.</i><br /><br />Shouldn't we be focused on how to better identify gifted black and brown kids and get them into gifted programs, as opposed to trying to take away access for gifted white students? <br /><br />Also, can you please clarify how you believe past injustices toward people of color are perpetuated in IQ and CogAt tests? Is it that those tests are biased, the topics and questions too eurocentric (and asia-centric?)? Are there tests that would provide a more accurate picture of giftedness in children of color, and if so, what types of questions do they ask instead?<br /><br />Off WhiteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42389967952560056512017-07-13T12:05:38.091-07:002017-07-13T12:05:38.091-07:00People do pussyfoot around white privilege. Not ju...People do pussyfoot around white privilege. Not just on this blog, but all over this country, this continent, and a couple of other continents that come to mind. I think a huge part of that is that a lot of people don't know much about white privilege. <br /><br />So here's Gina Crosely-Corcoran's <a href="http://occupywallstreet.net/story/explaining-white-privilege-broke-white-person" rel="nofollow">Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person...</a> and Peggy McIntosh's 1988 essay, <a href="https://www.pcc.edu/resources/illumination/documents/white-privilege-essay-mcintosh.pdf" rel="nofollow">White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack</a>. I wonder if students are reading these kinds of things in school in Seattle?<br /><br />Using 2016-17 numbers, there are <b>36,410 white students</b> registered and attending school in Seattle. <br />25,289 of them attend public schools and 11,121 of them attend private schools. All 36,410 of those white students have the same amount of white privilege. They have varying degrees of other kinds of privilege (class, sexual orientation, sex, ability, gender, happy home life, etc.) But all the white kids have the same whiteness-based privilege. Only <b>2,610 white students</b> are in Seattle's gifted program. And they're not any more white than the other 33,800 white kids.<br /><br />So, if you're having a feeling that "feels like racial domination" coming from white school kids, all 36,410 white kids in this city's schools ought to be eliciting this feeling, not just the 2,610 in the gifted program. If it's their whiteness that is the problem, I don't see how it matters which school they're going to or what programs they're participating in. These 36,410 white kids are going to be white no matter what school they go to. Being in one program or another doesn't change the amount of whiteness-based privilege they have.MLK Gifted and Go Highnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15582004834753545572017-07-13T01:21:29.300-07:002017-07-13T01:21:29.300-07:00People like to pussyfoot around white privilege on...People like to pussyfoot around white privilege on this blog, but it is a real thing and white people in Seattle with kids in SPS have in the past benefited and continue to benefit from it.<br /><br />To some of us, it feels like racial domination, which of course, it is.<br /><br />As far as gifted kids go,failure to include certain non-white populations creates disparity in the distribution of the advantages which derive from grouping gifted students and is but one of many examples of white privilege.<br /><br />hNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62597229515403594222017-07-12T17:47:20.127-07:002017-07-12T17:47:20.127-07:00@ Kiley, conflating race and income doesn't he...@ Kiley, conflating race and income doesn't help make your case. Is it white privilege or wealth that would flip things for those hypothetical kids? <br /><br />What about it the white, wealthy parents were uneducated, but the poor, black parents had college degrees , would that make a difference? What if the baby born black were had been born pre-term and/or low birth weight (both more common in black infants), while the baby born white had a healthy prenatal development and birth?<br /><br />It's complicatedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-13768788427673414352017-07-12T17:25:29.440-07:002017-07-12T17:25:29.440-07:00Kiley, your words are strange to me - like they co...Kiley, your words are strange to me - like they come from another world that I am not familiar with. My kid is white - she was a minority race in her HCC class and a minority race in her Robinson center classes. She is now a minority race in her college prep class. <br /><br />-HCCParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-26699681261514799972017-07-12T17:18:36.272-07:002017-07-12T17:18:36.272-07:00I think we all know that if two children of equal ...I think we all know that if two children of equal health, one being poor and black, one being white and wealthy, were somehow switched at birth and each grew up with in the other's skin and with the other's family, the previously black kid would have a much greater chance of being labeled gifted.<br /><br />White privilege is very real and very damaging to black kids and brown kids. Past and current treatment of these groups effects the chances of being found to be gifted.<br /><br />IQ and CogAt tests and programs like we have in Seattle, perpetuate the past injustices towards people of color.<br /><br />The privilege that whites enjoy will not be given up easily by most.<br /><br />At least the district teaches about it and the next generation will be much more aware of society's shortcomings.<br /><br />It is a dream deferred, but that's the best SPS can do, it seems.<br /><br />Kiley<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35356484457698065732017-07-12T16:49:16.437-07:002017-07-12T16:49:16.437-07:00@YB,
There clearly are gifted kids among students...@YB,<br /><br />There <a href="https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/timely-topics/including-diverse-learners-gifted-education-programs" rel="nofollow">clearly are gifted kids among students in the demographic groups that are underrepresented in gifted programs</a>. Being gifted and having a school district identify you as being gifted are two different things. <br /><br />There are surely lots of reasons for this, but from my own experiences with SPS I have to say one looms especially large: have you ever tried to convince an ALO geozone school in a lower income neighborhood in Seattle to give a child in need of more challenge harder schoolwork? 32% of teachers nationally say that advanced students are a low priority in their schools. Advanced learning is clearly an afterthought at most of our Seattle schools. 95% on achievement tests is a high bar. Kids may need support from their schools to achieve at that level. And if a student's classroom at school is not teaching at that level and not differentiating sufficiently for students who need that (harder because they don't all need to be working at that level), how will students get to that level?<br /><br />What can be done?<br />• Increase teacher and staff training. We need to reverse low expectation and correct misconceptions about promising low-income and minority learners, including the view that giftedness is limited to only already high achieving students. More teachers need information about the indicators of talent and how to develop it.<br />• Monitor and report all levels of student achievement, including at the high end of the achievement spectrum. Schools need data to be proactive in closing their excellence gaps.<br />• Support new research and disseminate best practice information. There is much more to learn, and share, about program models and strategies that have been shown to be successful with low-income and minority students. These include the impact of increased instructional time and the adaptive strategies used by minority and low-income students who succeed.MLK Gifted and Go Highnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1331328644789510952017-07-12T16:09:56.035-07:002017-07-12T16:09:56.035-07:00@ smugly, most parents of gifted students don'...@ smugly, most parents of gifted students don't run around talking about their child's IQ, so all is good. People talk about it online or in meetings when there are discussions about gifted ed (usually discussions about how to limit it or do away with it), but they don't go around bragging to other parents. Talking about how great your child did in sports or music though, that's totally cool. <br /><br />By the way, most students tested for HCC or AL are tested because they HAVE done something noteworthy. Usually a LOT of things. Their parents have observed these things--often over many years--and often their teachers have as well. You don't just sign your kid up for testing on a whim because "hey, it's a just a short test and who knows, they may happen to experience an episode of pseudo-giftedness during it!" <br /><br />Or are you suggesting that in the absence of some sort of intramural intelligence demonstration league with weekly competitions in which kids can show off their smarts and prove it to the outside world that it's all just a big mystery as to whether anyone is intellectually gifted? <br /><br />DisAPPointed<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49788586836042052562017-07-12T15:57:30.675-07:002017-07-12T15:57:30.675-07:00@ YB, yes, that's what many here have acknowle...@ YB, yes, that's what many here have acknowledged for years. Poverty is just as much--if not more--of a factor as race, yet many people want to make it all about race in SPS and HCC. <br /><br />Thankfully, the achievement score cut-offs are NOT set in stone, and parents and/or teachers can make the case that a low-income or minority or ELL or whatever student is gifted, even if their achievement scores might not suggest that. The committee is supposed to give special consideration to factors like race/culture, ELL status, poverty, etc. when it comes to HCC eligibility. Unfortunately, I suspect that parents and teachers of highly capable students from traditionally underserved groups probably still aren't up to speed on recognizing and/or acknowledging potential giftedness in kids, and more outreach might be needed to help understand what to look for. As well, it might be worth a pilot program to allow younger students from underserved groups to enter HCC with significantly lower scores than would otherwise be required, to see if they can catch up and keep up. Doing the same with older students would likely cause problems because they'd be too far behind, but in the lower grades there should be enough time for these suspected fast learners to pick up the missing pieces, even if it takes a couple years. <br /><br />DisAPPointedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65747592467605532572017-07-12T15:11:14.006-07:002017-07-12T15:11:14.006-07:00" MLK Gifted & Go High said...Some parent..." MLK Gifted & Go High said...Some parents and educators in Seattle confuse giftedness with privilege, so I bring up the stories of Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr. as examples to show that giftedness and privilege are NOT the same thing."<br /><br />Yes this is true. However one cannot ignore that the majority of kids who are overwhelmingly identified and enrolled in gifted programs nationwide are not low socioeconomic or ELL kids. There should also be gifted kids in this population. However, perhaps although high IQ/potential, they do not have the needed achievement scores & lower achievement scores are linked to poverty. <br /><br />This is not to state all who are enrolled are middle class or affluent. I personally know some kids who qualify for gifted programs and are F&R lunch. I also know many who are middle class, not affluent. <br /><br />But there is a lack of low socio kids (F&R lunch) being identified/qualifying. <br /><br />In addition, poverty affects achievement scores, achievement tests are used (addition to Cogat) to identify gifted kids for programs. <br /><br />Mercer Island has the highest proportion of kids (20%!!!!) in gifted programs in our area for example. Many more identified than in Seattle. Wealthy areas identify more gifted kids, there is a correlation.<br />-YB <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83579798088556598822017-07-12T13:52:19.237-07:002017-07-12T13:52:19.237-07:00@smugly,
You said, "I guess the difference I...@smugly,<br /><br />You said, "I guess the difference I see between sports and academics is that no one says a child is gifted at sports or music until <b>they actually perform at a higher level than their peers</b>. In academics, however, merely doing well on a test, maybe an hour or two of sitting for one in Kindergarten, and a child is 'gifted'."<br /><br />What? The <i>way</i> they are being called "gifted" (or technically in our state, "highly capable") is that <b>they actually perform at a higher level than their peers</b> on the tests. They need to score in the 98th-99th percentile on two sections of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and 95th percentile or higher in both reading & math on SPS administered assessments. That is by definition performing at a higher level than their peers.<br /><br />When you listen to 11-year-old Malik Kofi play the cello, how long do you think you have to listen to him play before you would say he's a gifted musician? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFJlyQ_XdA" rel="nofollow">Here's a four-minute clip.</a> Isn't that enough? When Simone Biles won the world championship in the floor exercise at the age of 16, her routine was less than 4 minutes long. But who wouldn't have called her a gifted gymnast after that? She was the world champion. Just 4 minutes.<br /><br />But students don't need to qualify in kindergarten. A student can <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=1560872" rel="nofollow">qualify for advanced learning or HCC </a>any year between kindergarten and 12th grade.MLK Gifted and Go Highnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4250643752967988342017-07-12T11:27:23.388-07:002017-07-12T11:27:23.388-07:00Some parents and educators in Seattle confuse gift...Some parents and educators in Seattle confuse giftedness with privilege, so I bring up the stories of Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr. as examples to show that giftedness and privilege are NOT the same thing. <br /><br />Thurgood Marshall's dad was a railroad porter and his mom a teacher. His grandfather had been a slave. He did not grow up in privilege. Martin Luther King Jr. also did not grow up privileged. <br /><br />And yet they were both gifted. We can tell from how they skipped grades in school. We don't need an IQ score or a CogAT score or MAP test results or WISC or SBAC or SAT scores. Most school children would not benefit from skipping an entire year of school. Let alone benefit so much that they would do it again! But both Marshall and King benefited from skipping the first year they skipped so much, it worked out so well for them that they did it a second time. Because it worked for them. Because they had atypical educational needs. Because they were gifted. Not privileged, but gifted.<br /><br />I am not suggesting that grade skipping should be how Seattle school district educates gifted kids today. Marshall graduated high school in 1925 and MLK Jr. graduated high school in 1944. What was state of the art in gifted ed in the 1920s and 1940s is no longer necessarily state of the art. <br /><br />But I think it's easier for Seattleites who are squeamish about gifted ed to see that the gifted ed Marshall and MLK received was not "getting something special." By skipping two grades they actually received less from the schools than their peers. Gifted ed is a necessary intervention for some students, but it doesn't necessarily involve the students receiving something "special" or deluxe or fancy or better than other students. It can very easily involve them getting less (maybe even two years less!!!). <br /><br />But, again, both Thurgood Marshall and MLK Jr. were students at high risk of dropping out of school. Their biographies describe them (as students) as noncompliant, unmotivated, a prankster, "floating through," etc. Thank goodness for the country that they got what little accommodation they received. The country is a far better place for it. The country is better for keeping gifted kids in school by accommodating their atypical learning needs.MLK Gifted & Go Highnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69352166844994200562017-07-12T09:41:39.094-07:002017-07-12T09:41:39.094-07:00I guess the difference I see between sports and ac...I guess the difference I see between sports and academics is that no one says a child is gifted at sports or music until they actually perform at a higher level than their peers.<br /><br />In academics, however, merely doing well on a test, maybe an hour or two of sitting for one in Kindergarten, and a child is "gifted".<br /><br />Whether or not they have ever done anything noteworthy or special.<br /><br />Comparing academic giftedness to physical beauty is much more appropriate.<br /><br />And if a parent mentions their child's good looks to others I think they will get the same treatment as those who discuss their child's IQ.<br /><br />Can you imagine a parent of a child who has model level looks talking to a parent of kid who looks "normal", or even what Western culture would call unattractive and discussing how beautiful their child is?<br /><br />That is how non-gifted parents feel sometimes. <br /><br />smugly<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-39812604894930206362017-07-11T18:19:50.803-07:002017-07-11T18:19:50.803-07:00I believe that acceleration through subject matter...I believe that acceleration through subject matters (or by skipping grades, per the examples by Go High as cited) is necessary for some gifted students to thrive in their learning. It is obvious, for example, by the existence of the the Early Entrance Program at the UW. However, a number of my parent peers believe more in "horizontal enrichment" vs. "vertical acceleration" for the gifted population. Perhaps a blend of both approaches would be the most ideal in an academic setting? <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7312396085927095882017-07-11T15:01:26.766-07:002017-07-11T15:01:26.766-07:00Shari Huhndorf, professor and dept. chair of Nativ...<a href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow">Shari Huhndorf, professor and dept. chair of Native American Studies at UC Berkeley</a> skipped two grades in school and graduated high school before her 16th birthday. Her mother describes her as a kind and gentle soul, yet her research has her confronting a nation's cruel and arrogant past. She worries about her. <a href="http://www.litsite.org/index.cfm?section=History-and-Culture&page=Cultural-Heritage&viewpost=2&ContentId=834" rel="nofollow">"Sometimes she'll call me and read things to me," her mother said. "She's a very sensitive person. It's troubling for her."</a><br /><br />Venture capitalist <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/sarameads_policy_notebook/2011/05/rafael_corrales_co-founder_learnboost.html" rel="nofollow">Rafael Corrales</a> skipped two grades, graduated high school at 16, started College Knowledge Tutoring at age 19, graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Tech at 20, accepted to and began Harvard Business School at 21...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nba.com/suns/news/00382488.html" rel="nofollow">Phoenix Suns player Kevin Johnson</a> skipped fifth grade. His mom said: "We had to have several meetings at the school because they raised such a stink about it because he was so young. They had the fourth and fifth graders in one room and Kevin did all of the fourth grade work, then all of the fifth grade work and they still couldn't find enough for him to do. He started to become a little nuisance because they couldn't keep him busy. It always concerned us because he was so young, he was a full year behind the other kids. But he was always real competitive so I think it was a challenge for him."<br /><br />John Legend told Oprah he skipped first grade and seventh grade. He started high school at age 12 and graduated at 16.<br /><br />Thurgood Marshall skipped grades twice. He also got <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/black-history-month/bal-blackhistory-thurgood-story.html" rel="nofollow">kicked out of college <b>twice</b> for fraternity pranks.</a> He was noncompliant and naughty and disobedient. And clearly gifted. What would have happened to him if his schools hadn't allowed the academic acceleration he did receive?<br /><br />Michelle Obama skipped second grade. And so did her brother.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/grade_skipped.htm" rel="nofollow">The list goes on. </a> Why did all these people skip grades in school? Why was that necessary? Were they "eminent" in second grade? Seventh grad? Had they achieved fame or glory or set themselves apart? Nope. No one had ever heard of them. They were all gifted. They needed the academic acceleration to thrive. And their parents and teachers fought for them to be allowed to do it.<br /><br />Giftedness exists. And the quicker you accelerate gifted kids the better their outcomes (both academic and social/emotional). And the better the outcomes for our communities and our nation. Can you imagine if Thurgood Marshall had dropped out to become a professional poker player or something? Or if MLK Jr. had given up on school after a boring year in 9th grade and dropped out? Allowing children like Thurgood Marshall and W.E.B. DuBois and MLK Jr. to access gifted education (acceleration or cohorting or however it's done in your district in your day) is better for the kids and better for the world. Go Highnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37100340729227581232017-07-11T12:25:22.347-07:002017-07-11T12:25:22.347-07:00Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gifted. He skipped ...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gifted. He skipped two grades in high school and entered Morehouse College in Atlanta at age 15, where he was a <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086" rel="nofollow">"popular student [...] but an unmotivated student who floated though his first two years</a>. Note that he was 15 to 17 years old while he was an unmotivated student, floating through school. He had not achieved any "eminence" yet. And we don't need his CogAT score or his IQ score to know that without a doubt he was gifted. Even if we don't know anything about his life from after he was 15, successfully skipping two grades in high school is enough. <br /><br />Obviously he did go on to achieve "eminence," but it didn't happen when he was a student in elementary, middle or high school. What would have happened to him if he hadn't skipped 9th grade? If he'd just sat there bored for the whole year? He skipped another grade later in high school. Because he was gifted. What would have happened to him if the school hadn't let him skip those grades? How would he have felt about school? How would it have changed his trajectory in life?<br /><br />He wrote: <i>I remember another experience I used to have in Atlanta. I went to high school on the other side of town—to the Booker T. Washington High School. I had to get the bus in what was known as the Fourth Ward and ride over to the West Side. In those days, rigid patterns of segregation existed on the buses, so that Negroes had to sit in the backs of buses. Whites were seated in the front, and often if whites didn't get on the buses, those seats were still reserved for whites only, so Negroes had to stand over empty seats. I would end up having to go to the back of that bus with my body, but every time I got on that bus I left my mind up on the front seat. <a href="https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/publications/autobiography-martin-luther-king-jr-contents/chapter-1-early-years" rel="nofollow">And I said to myself, "One of these days, I'm going to put my body up there where my mind is."</a></i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.davidsongifted.org/Search-Database/entry/A10489" rel="nofollow">studies have shown</a> showed that the most successful interventions occurred when the children were identified earlier, rather than later, in their elementary schooling and were either accelerated or placed in a class with other gifted children. She claimed that it was between the ages of 4 and 9 that the social difficulties experienced by children with IQs of 160+ were most acute. Miraca Gross's study found the same thing. The seeds of what happened in later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood have been sown in the first 3 years of school. Many of the young people in her study who experienced social rejection in their early school years deliberately underachieved for peer acceptance through much of their school career. Some deliberately moderated their performance in the hope that it would make them more acceptable to their class teachers.<br /> <br />Martin Luther King Jr. was gifted whether he ever took an IQ test or the CogAT or got a little seal of HCC approval in his transcript from his public school district. He was gifted and he benefitted from educational intervention (grade skipping). Obviously he went on to achieve "eminence." He had the benefit of a high school that allowed him the acceleration he needed. He graduated college and seminary (where he was valedictorian). Earned his PhD at 25 and changed the course of history. <br /><br />Our schools owe it to gifted kids like Martin Luther King Jr. was to help them thrive.MLK Giftednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75975064716455375342017-07-11T07:48:38.505-07:002017-07-11T07:48:38.505-07:00Zach DeWolfe is running for Seattle School Board. ...Zach DeWolfe is running for Seattle School Board. His comments need to be clarified. Sounds like he supports Honors for All approach to advanced learning.Clarification Needednoreply@blogger.com