1.Establish a connection between yourself, principal, district AIG personnel, and other concerned parents
2. Examine the programs currently offered in your school. Meet with curriculum directors to discuss concerns you may be having and engage in roundtable discussions.
3. Determine the needs of your students and discuss those with the school and curriculum directors
4. Formulate a tentative plan, with the option to be flexible
5. Ask for specific curricular programs
6. Request planning/funding/curricular meetings
7. Create a paper trail indicating your desires, research, meetings, requests, etc..
8. Understand the law IDEA and Free and Appropriate Public Education Education (FAPE) as they apply to gifted programs in your district
9. Determine if an IEP or DEP are appropriately used in your district, what the policy/plans are with these, who should have one, what teachers are appropriately applying the strategies and requirements of the IEP/DEP's. Utilize professional development if necessary
10. Use a persuasive approach.
2. Examine the programs currently offered in your school. Meet with curriculum directors to discuss concerns you may be having and engage in roundtable discussions.
3. Determine the needs of your students and discuss those with the school and curriculum directors
4. Formulate a tentative plan, with the option to be flexible
5. Ask for specific curricular programs
6. Request planning/funding/curricular meetings
7. Create a paper trail indicating your desires, research, meetings, requests, etc..
8. Understand the law IDEA and Free and Appropriate Public Education Education (FAPE) as they apply to gifted programs in your district
9. Determine if an IEP or DEP are appropriately used in your district, what the policy/plans are with these, who should have one, what teachers are appropriately applying the strategies and requirements of the IEP/DEP's. Utilize professional development if necessary
10. Use a persuasive approach.
A great place to look for help and resources when developing an advocacy plan is the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) This is a one-stop-shop for gifted children. You will find information from what a gifted child "looks" like, books, teacher training, parent involvement suggestions, as well as a state-by-state guide to gifted education.
I highly recommend checking out the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Here you will find various advocacy strategies. "We are a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students
18 and under." Educators will find this page within the DITD page of particular interest. Here you will find a list of articles pertaining to gifted education
The Hoagies Gifted Education page is full of great ideas for parents who what to get involved in their child's education. There are advocacy ideas, plans for both traditional schools and homeschool options, even a handbook of sorts. This webpage is full and can come across as overwhelming, however if you read the pages you will find a wealth of excellent information.
I highly recommend checking out the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Here you will find various advocacy strategies. "We are a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students
18 and under." Educators will find this page within the DITD page of particular interest. Here you will find a list of articles pertaining to gifted education
The Hoagies Gifted Education page is full of great ideas for parents who what to get involved in their child's education. There are advocacy ideas, plans for both traditional schools and homeschool options, even a handbook of sorts. This webpage is full and can come across as overwhelming, however if you read the pages you will find a wealth of excellent information.
The North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented web page is an appropriate page to consider when researching information regarding advocating for gifted children. It pertains to our state, explains the legislative background, and has links to article
The Advocacy for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE) is a New York State initiative to advocate for gifted education and gifted students in that state. While that is not the state we are in, the links to articles embedded within this page makes it a valuable resource.