Feel free to PM me if you like-- I have some experience with both the current and historical state of affairs re: GT ed in your state.
I was sitting here scratching my head, like, "How does she know what state I live in? There's gifted, and there's psychic..." HA! I assume you may think I live in Oregon but I don't. That's just the website where I found the list the school sent home. I'm in VA. :-)
Ahhhh!
Wow, though-- not a good sign when other states are relying on (ahem) "Mississippi-o-the-north" for GT resources.
Sorry, but that
is what locals to this coast call K through 12 education out here. For a lot of very good reasons, I might add. There is a smart cohort of
kids in the system, but wowie, does that
system ever fail them in myriad ways, while patting itself on the back that they're doing a great job. Well-- no. Actually, given the budget they work with, OR
should look like MA. And boy, howdy it sure doesn't-- in
any respect whatsoever (other than the distribution of white-collar parents and the basic demographics of families). A quick comparison to WA (which should look identical for a host of reasons) reveals just how hideous public education has become in Oregon over the past fifteen years. There are major structural problems, and most of them translate into problems for the classrooms, too. GT is one of the hardest-hit domains, sadly.
What I know of YOUR state, on the other hand, is all second-hand and while not nearly "rosy" it isn't quite as bleak as the picture in OR.
