A strong inclusion classroom will have both skilled general educators and skilled educational specialists (in an ideal world, for both below- and above-level learners), working collaboratively and seamlessly to bridge core content to each student at their need level. That's the theory, anyway. I've seen it work for about a 4 SD spread when two skilled teachers trust each other. I've also seen catastrophic failures. So much depends on the execution.
What teacher-specific traits, and institutional attitudes/policies, drove the successes and failures you've seen, aeh? (I know this is an enormous question. Feel free to be cursory!)
General comments for the group...
One of the challenges here in Canada is a philosophical resistance to the concept of giftedness a priori, before even venturing into the classroom. I know I've heard similar refrains from regular posters here in Australia and NZ. The University of Toronto's education program (OISE) is a good example of where the thought leadership is moving on the topic nationally. It's one of the leading research universities in education in Canada, and it has repealed almost all specialty programming in gifted education since c.a. 2010. It is challenging to enact effective interventions at the institutional level when the policy zeitgeist is "it doesn't exist."
In several major cities in Canada, congregated gifted schools have seen reduced enrolment spaces or been eliminated. When I was involved more actively in public special education advocacy (read: head, meet wall), it was frustrating to see tiered gifted interventions implemented which require the student to have clinically significant harm from an inappropriate environment before placement in a congregated setting is considered. To me, that is like asking a child on crutches to climb around an Escher-esque school, and only be granted ramp or elevator access after a few broken limbs... That it is prohibitively involved for someone with my privileged background to have her child placed appropriately means it would be impossible for someone without it. On that front, I will say that Canada's education system is race blind: there is an equal lack of opportunity for gifted programming for all.
I'm always heartened to hear that gifted education is less moribund for friends in the US. I am sympathetic to the intersectional lens many gifties face (whether 2e, cultural or visible minorities, etc.) because they often have the added challenge of overcoming prejudice or paying to play with less means. It feels like framing the issue around HS exit to elite universities is closing the barn after the horses have left.
