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FROM GIFTED TO AT RISK: Money for Michigan's Brightest Students Dwindles: Parents Choose Homeschooling, Private Schools

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Lori Higgins, Detroit Free Press

Apr. 18--Tenia McClendon knew her granddaughter was extraordinary when, at 15 months, the girl could recite the alphabet, count to 15 and carry on a conversation.

"She never talked baby talk. She did everything early. She said sentences early. We started looking at each other like 'What is going on with this child?' " said McClendon of Sterling Heights.

Now that granddaughter, Demetria Lumpkin, is 4, and starting to read. McClendon worries whether today's schools are equipped to meet the child's needs.

"I'm afraid she'll lose interest in school," McClendon said.

That's a growing concern among advocates for gifted children, who say advanced kids are being put at risk in the midst of school budget cuts and a nationwide push to assist struggling students as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act.

State money for gifted programs has dropped to nearly nothing in recent years, from $5 million in 1997 to $285,000 today. Across metro Detroit, as school districts pinched by tight budgets make hard choices about which programs to keep, gifted programs have fallen by the wayside.

"You've got to put the funds where they will do the most good for the most kids," said Gayle Green, assistant superintendent in the Macomb Intermediate School District.

Left unchallenged, though, gifted children can falter, advocates say. They become bored in school. They become at risk of dropping out. A widely cited study from 1991 found 1 in 5 dropouts was considered gifted.

States and school districts aren't required to keep statistics on gifted children. But experts say generally, 5% to 7% of the school population is gifted and about 2% of children are profoundly gifted. There were 1.7 million public school students in Michigan in 2004-05.

While many factors determine whether a child is gifted, the ability to accurately and quickly process information is one early indication.

Gifted programs vary from district to district, but usually provide advanced students opportunities to grow beyond their peers, either through extra work and special projects, or by accelerating them in subjects such as math. Money for gifted programs is doled out in the form of grants to local school districts, charter schools and intermediate school districts.

In the 2004-05 school year, the last year for which information is available from the Michigan Department of Education, 51 of the state's 57 intermediate school districts each received about $980 for gifted programming. Local districts and charters received the remaining $200,000 based on their total enrollments. Detroit Public Schools, for instance, got $20,544 while Birmingham Public Schools got $1,074. The situation has left some parents choosing options such as homeschooling and private schools for their gifted children. But those options can be costly and unrealistic for many.

"We're not grooming our best minds and that's very shortsighted," said Sharon Milberger, president of the Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education, a statewide advocacy group.

Left to their own devices

Parents such as Lynn Hawkins of Novi worry that without extra attention, their children could become underachievers.

That's why she and husband John Hawkins decided to homeschool their gifted sons, Matthew, 9, and Andrew, 8. The public school Matthew had attended for two years and Andrew for one year -- Village Oaks in Novi -- was good, and the teachers were excellent, they said, but the parents feared they wouldn't be able to do enough.

"It becomes clear that school is not challenging enough for them and you realize you have to do something different," said Lynn Hawkins, an attorney with a private practice. She teaches her boys language arts, history and other subjects, while her husband, an airline pilot, teaches math and science.

Like Demetria, the Hawkins boys showed early signs of being gifted.

Matthew was reading by the time he was 4. When he was in kindergarten, he was getting up every morning to read the sports pages of the newspaper so he could talk about the Red Wings with his teacher. Andrew, the creative one, was 4 when he made an impressive 3-D diorama-- without ever having a lesson in how to make one.

"In first grade, they repeated stuff like eight times. I got tired of it," Matthew said.

Andrew likes being taught at home because "we can change to a different subject any time we want to," he said.

And they can do cool things like build cars, using supplies such as cardboard, egg cartons, straws, plastic wheels and 9-volt batteries. They're also frequent visitors to educational institutions such as the Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing. And when John Hawkins has extended time off from his job with Northwest Airlines, the family hops in its RV and travels the country.

"You learn about the history of America and all the things that have happened in its past," Matthew said.

In math, the boys are both several years beyond their grade levels, at times even solving calculus problems.

Budget cuts hit gifted programs

With little financial help and with their retirement and health insurance costs skyrocketing, school districts find they have no choice but to make cuts everywhere, including in gifted programs. Some gifted programs in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties have either been eliminated or severely cut back.

In the Farmington Public Schools, which is facing a $14-million shortfall for next year, school officials may eliminate the job of the administrator who runs its gifted program. The district also is reducing from 5 to 3 the number of gifted coordinators. About five years ago, the district had 13 coordinators to provide advanced lessons to gifted students.

George Heitsch, assistant superintendent for instructional services, said he doubts students will be affected much by the proposed cuts. But administrative matters may suffer.

"What may happen is parent phone calls won't be returned as quickly," he said.

Ultimately, Heitsch said, the district might be forced to reevaluate the program completely and perhaps come up with a new way of delivering services to gifted students.

Other districts are coping. At Canton's Miller Elementary School, the 138 gifted students from across the district study the same curriculum as their non-gifted peers. But the children also get individualized opportunities to pursue studies at a deeper level, said Cindy Swift, director of elementary instruction for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. Miller has three gifted classrooms for grades 3-5.

Sharif Shakrani, acting codirector of the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University, which researches and analyzes education issues, said money for gifted programs has declined, but he added that schools are doing the best they can to provide services with limited resources.

"We will never reach a perfect situation where everyone will say we have what we need," he said.

Teachers multitask in lesson plans

With special programs for gifted students disappearing, districts are training their teachers in a popular method -- differentiated instruction, where teachers learn to adapt their lessons for those who are gifted, average or struggling.

Mary Aspinwall, a fifth-grade teacher at Kennedy Elementary School in Ferndale Public Schools, has advanced children in her classroom. And one who is gifted. He uses a seventh-grade math textbook. He also works independently with the help of a computer program.

When schools can't meet the needs of some children in a subject such as math, the students are sent to the next level -- a middle school or a high school -- to take courses. That kind of acceleration is what gifted advocates want to see more of.

Too often, though, they say the attitude is that gifted children will be OK, that they'll get by on their own.

"That's flawed thinking," said Suzanne Hosking, vice president for advocacy for the Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education.

Cecilia Lumpkin, Demetria's mother, worries that without a quality program for her daughter, the girl's early signs of being gifted will be wasted. Testing at Wayne State University has indicated Demetria would benefit from a gifted program when she enrolls in school.

Lumpkin wants to build on that. Which is why she is searching for a private school -- and money to pay for it. Without such a school, Lumpkin worries her daughter, who will enter kindergarten in the fall, will become frustrated.

"When kids know things or stand out from the others, it may seem like they're a problem," she said. "If they're not getting what they need, they may act out."

Contact LORI HIGGINS at 248-351-3694 or higgins@freepress.com.

photo

Andrew works at finding the right elements at a periodic table station at Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing. (MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free Press)

Who's gifted?

States have their definitions of gifted, and the federal government has its definition. Here's what they look for:

Michigan

Elementary and secondary school students who may be considered outstanding in school achievement or those who have remarkable abilities in particular areas of human endeavor, including the arts and the humanities.

National

Children or youth who demonstrate high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the schools to fully develop those capabilities.

Source: Michigan Compiled Laws, National Association for Gifted Children

General traits of gifted children

Characteristics of gifted children vary, often depending on just how accelerated a child is. But here are some things to look for:

* Reasons well.

* Learns rapidly.

* Has extensive vocabulary.

* Has an excellent memory.

* Has a long attention span if interested.

* Is sensitive, has easily hurt feelings.

* Shows compassion.

* Is a perfectionist.

* Is intense.

* Is morally sensitive.

* Has strong curiosity.

* Perseveres in interests.

* Has high degree of energy.

* Prefers older companions or adults.

* Has a wide range of interests.

* Has a great sense of humor.

* Is an early or avid reader or, if very young, loves being read to.

* Concerned with justice and fairness.

* Shows mature judgment for age at times.

* Is a keen observer.

* Has a vivid imagination.

* Is highly creative.

* Tends to question authority.

* Is good with numbers.

* Good at jigsaw puzzles.

Source: Gifted Development Center, Institute for the Study of Advanced Development

Where to get help

Parents with concerns about their gifted child, or who are looking for information about gifted programs can check out these resources:

* Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education, www.www.migiftedchild.org. Click on Affiliates to see if your community has an organization for parents of gifted children. The group also has an e-mail list for parents, educators, or anyone interested in gifted education. Call 616-365-8230.

* National Association for Gifted Children, a national advocacy group for gifted education, www.nagc.org.

* Hoagies Gifted Education Page, a resource on gifted education, www.hoagiesgifted.org.

* Wayne Regional Education Service Agency has a comprehensive list of activities for children at www.resa.net/dyd.

* Davidson Institute for Talent Development, an organization dedicated to recognizing, nurturing and supporting profoundly gifted children, www.ditd.org.

* Genius Denied, a Web site with information about the book by the same name and also other resources, www.geniusdenied.com.

* Wayne State University's psychology clinic tests children whose parents believe they are gifted. Fees range from $100 to $700, and are based on family income. Call 313-577-2840 or visit www.psych.wayne.edu/psychclinic/psychclinic.

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Source: Detroit Free Press

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