Wow, this is a great thread.
IMO there is such variation teacher:teacher, school:school, and town:town even w/in each state.
As a child I was blessed with some excellent teachers (only a few duds).
As a teacher I faced a lot of challenges. When I raised expectations in my heterogeneous class I was warned by the principal that I would just be disappointed. I wasn't. I grouped for reading and math and even began taking GT math students from other classes to differentiate for them. Exhausting, but rewarding. I provided opportunities for the students to discover areas of interest: recycling, Shakespeare, etc.
At a different school, I found a few like minded teachers and we began working together. Parents loved us, the administrator tolerated us, and other teachers had mixed reactions.
As a parent DD5 has a pleasant teacher who is clueless about HG kids. However, I have been able to push (and not that hard)to have DD placed in a 1st/2nd grade class for 1hr/day. This teacher appears to be a little more aware.
I have heard from teacher friends in other school systems that in the number of years since I have left teaching (7+) things are worse than before. Many teachers complain greatly about NCLB and the pressure to have children tested. School test scores are very competitive. Teachers at the elementary level in one school told me that they are forbidden (yes, forbidden) to differentiate w/in the class and if they are "caught" by administration they will be reprimanded. In fact, an extremely knowledgeable GT teacher told me that the Maine Eduation Commissioner is trying to make it against the law to ability group.
So, I will continue to advocate for my children (DD5 is the first of 3 battles I think I may have to fight) at school and in the world. My husband and I are not in a position to homeschool (besides DD has that extrovert trait), private schools are few and far between, GT schools non-existant.
