Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Gifted schools - Are they only for the wealthy?

My personal opinion is that while private gifted schools may be pricey, its just like everything else in this world. Some have, some don't. Some can buy X while others can only afford Y. I don't spend my time worrying about what I can't afford for my kiddos. I spend my time working on what I can provide and finding resources to help them along the way.

I don't think just because a school is labeled "private" or "gifted" that they are getting a superior education. Some schools are better than others, some just think they are or use their title to make people think they are. Learning can happen in so many ways. Fairness isn't going to happen anytime soon so I refuse to worry about who has more than us.

... but unless you already have an unpaid or low-paid parent, homeschooling is typically even more expensive than private school; fees rarely exceed a professional's take-home pay (although the school I'm concerned about being able to afford is an exception).

It's a really tough call. I love homeschooling, but if the homeschooling parent has a certian income-earning potential, then it can be just as expensive as private school. Plus working can lead to more income-earning potential. I don't want to say homeschooling is bad - I think it's so good that it is worth it for many families to make the sacrifice, but I don't want to sell homeschooling as the inexpensive choice. If the primary wage-earner can't work at some future time, the homeschooling parent who has been out of the job market for a long time may have lost a lot of opportunity for economic growth. Of course this all varies in individual situations, and I think it's a lovely and wise choice if a family decides to live a live a simpler lifestyle so that one parent can be out of the job market and have more energy for parenting. That has real value, and is a hard path in a consumer culture.

I've had personal experience with 2 private schools, neither marketed for gifted, but both 'college prepratory' in orrientation. In one school there was bullying that wasn't addressed because the parents had clout. I can't imagine that happening in the school my son is at now. Integrity is certianly possible in this world, just not something one can assume. It's possible that private school who are only for high schoolers can afford to have more integrity because they only loose for 4 years instead of potentially 12 years.

If a parent can't use what resources they can corral to help their own children have better lives, then what's the point of corraling resource? I also recognise that it's in my best interest if my children's intellectual peers get a good education regardless of those kids' parent's ability to corral resource or even advocate. I think if one is politically in favor of public schools that work for everyone, including gifted kids, then one should work for that in various ways - politically, direct service, short of keeping one's child in a public school that doesn't work for that individual child. My responsibility to my own child is quite different from my general responsibility to children in general. That's why I'll advocate for a school meeting my child's individual needs but not put energy into advocating for a local gifted program. A local gifted program that meets most gifted kids needs would be unlikely to meet my own child's needs, and would convince the school folks that 'we're already doing enough.' That is the true problem with independent school that market themselves as 'for gifted students.' As you know there is no standard accepted definition of what 'gifted' is, and there is no certianty that a gifted school will have a definion that inculdes any particular child's reality. Go and observe the classroom. Ask for specific examples of how outlier gifies were helped in the past.

/vent
Grinity

If the school you are considering seems to be an ideal match for your child, and a 1/3 of the kids are on some type of scholarship or financial aid, then perhaps you might qualify for help to put your child there.

We have found that the public schools in our particular area prepared our kids to a level similar to those of the elite private schools and sometimes even had more options due to higher populations and funding.

My great-grandmother, who lived most of her life in poverty but was one of the most centered, happy women I've ever known, gave me some great advice that has helped me focus on what is important: You can spend your energy resenting what isn't fair or you can spend your energy figuring out what it is that you want and how you're going to get there.

Fair or not fair, it is what it is. So if you think the ideal is for your child to attend that school, use all of your energy and ideas to come up with a plan that will work to make it happen.

You are essentially paying around $12/hr for someone to care for your child 7.5 hours a day *and* give them an education. It's less expensive than having a parent leave the workforce to homeschool, unless that parent's earning potential is less than $12/hr.

It stinks that the public school system that everyone is already paying for can't find a way to create at least a few schools in each state that would really serve HG+ learners, so that highly gifted kids whose parents are in the bottom 50% of income could still get an appropriate education.

I support school vouchers. Your property taxes pay for public schools (I assume), but you don't intend to use the service. It would be nice if you could use the money that would be spent on your child in a public school to help pay for a school that is a better fit. If you got a $9000 voucher to help pay for a $16000 school, then it would only cost you $7000.

My DD attended a free public gifted magnet school. As to whether it serves HG+ students...well, I don't know how well (DD is MG), but it's a big improvement from her former situation. I feel fortunate to have access to this option.

Yes, me too. The thing about private schools is that they have to serve customers, which gives them some oversight. If the parents are unhappy with the education, they can vote with their feet.

oh I purposely just left the bomb of "homeschool" like that true-tons of factors...true-I make less than $12 an hour usually, but we've made choices that enable us to be happy and satisfied, while not living a fancy life. I was already working from home because that's what was working for us so homeschooling was the easier answer for us. I do realize this isn't everyone's situation, but wanted to open up the discussion more

We went to a magnet, not a gifted one. We don't have an actual "gifted magnet" here. And to be honest, what I've seen of our GT options, I don't think they will fit my child, so, for now, for my own sanity, I am creating an environment we can work within...

Val:
"The thing about private schools is that they have to serve customers, which gives them some oversight. If the parents are unhappy with the education, they can vote with their feet."

You can do that in state schools too - only there is a bigger choice of state schools. Your financial clout is maybe 1 in 600 (if the school has 600 pupils) and inevitebly Little Lord Fauntelroy or a kid whose dad is a highly paid soccer player has many times more clout than Jonny Briggs from the council estate (housing projecct?) unfortunately.