Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums GT Research Article: US Schools Fail to Serve Best, Brightest

My kids get a personalized educations at their private schools. There are schools like theirs out there, but they're rare and if they're private, many people can't afford them. This is why my fantasy school is free.

My point is that individualized education can be done. In fact, it is done every day for kids with disabilities. Why not for bright kids?



There's a law that says they have to do this for 1:1,000,000 kids with disabilities. Why not bright kids too?

I'm one of the people who's very frustrated with the public school system. I'm frustrated on a personal level because I'd love to send my kids to public schools, but I just can't. I'm even more frustrated because the results of our school system are that we don't have enough people who can be scientists or engineers, and too many people are taken in by ideas like hospital death panels.

I know that many, many individual teachers are wonderful people and great teachers, but the problems mostly stem from the system as a whole, which in turn in runs on individuals and the sociology of group behavior: lots of people are unhappy with the status quo but it doesn't change because the ability to create change breaks down in a group. Part of the problem is that the senior people are often the ones who thrive in the dysfunctional system.

I'm sorry if I offend people or put people off by expressing my opinions here. Thing is, I'm tired of feeling obliged to smile placidly and talk about how wonderful the schools are and how hard the teachers work. I know they work hard --- but it's beside the point. The school system is broken, and it won't change until people start making noise.

(Actually, I'm also kind of tired of valid criticisms about schools being labeled as teacher-bashing. (I said this not to be accusatory, but to try to be thought-provoking )

Val