The new program would help meet the needs of students through better identification and enrichment.
Lorie Raihala had planned for her kids to attend public school — but over the years, the lack of programming for talented and gifted students proved too frustrating.
“We tried very hard for six years to make it work for them, and we’re very supportive of the public school system, so we really wanted it to work,” Raihala said. But it affected their emotional well-being, that their needs weren’t being met in the classroom.”
So Raihala’s children moved to a private school. And Raihala joined a group of parents pushing for a commitment by the Madison School District to improve programming for its talented and gifted, or TAG, students.
That group will score a victory Monday night when a plan drafted by the district that would overhaul how TAG students are identified and supported through their school careers comes before the Madison School Board. The three-year plan would replace current TAG policy, which has been out of compliance with state statutes since 1990.
- Madison School District Talented & Gifted Plan notes & links.
- MP3 audio: School Board discussion of the plan.
- Madison United for Academic Excellence links and notes (well worth reading).
This plan is, of course, long overdue. Any one know why this is called a “plan” and not a “MMSD Board Policy”? At any rate, in my experience, the biggest hurdle here will be the District itself. Every building functions as such an individual entity, and some buildings will be overwhelmed by the needs of their students while others will sit idly by. Some will make this a priority, others will view it as a secondary thought, and yet others will view it as an intrusion. It’s going to require extreme vigilance, much in the way enforcement of the Equity Policy has required an exhaustive vigilance. But there is no doubt that, if executed properly and District-wide, it will benefit students of all backgrounds who currently do not benefit from some of the plans goals.