The Power of Affiliates To Shape Change:

MINDS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES

Leadership & Advocacy Conference March 12, 2017

Good Morning!

The Hall County School District

28,000 students (1,500 more than 4 years ago)

7000 English Language Learners

60% free or reduced lunch

FY 16 budget $23 million less than FY 08

Per pupil expenditures approximately $750 less than the state average

25 new charter schools, magnet schools and programs of choice in the past 10 years – all with deep roots in gifted education!

Excellence or Adequacy?

OR • Culture of Adequacy • Remediation and Narrow Focus

• Low Expectations, Fear, Anger, Anxiety

• Focus on “Most Fragile” • Frustration of our “Most Able”

• Culture of Excellence • Enrichment, Creativity, Disciplined

Inquiry • High Expectations, Calculated Risk,

High Support, Celebration • Focus on Unlimited Potential of ALL

What if . . . . . . the best way to improve our schools is to focus on EXCELLENCE, not ADEQUACY? . . . schools could help their students climb WAY beyond PROFICIENCY by focusing on ENGAGEMENT and RIGOR? . . . the answer is to “pull from the TOP,” rather than focusing on the bottom?

Equity and excellence in our schools will most likely result from:

Combined with Combined with

for

in order to

Adapted from Tomlinson (2007)

Extension of the Pedagogy Once Thought To Be the Exclusive Domain of Gifted Education, e.g., High Expectation, Constructivism, Authenticity

Best practice literacy and scaffolding Best practice extension of challenge

Typical and struggling learners

Advanced and advancing learners

for

in order to

Provide access to equity and excellence

Retain and extend access to equity and excellence

in an environment of

High Ceilings/High Personalization

Where is the JOY in Learning? Rigorous education must also be

so compelling that students are engaged long enough to develop real expertise.

We do this by focusing on students’ strengths and interests, by tying the content and skills we’ve been charged with teaching to what our students love already!

Focus on Passion and Authentic Intellectual Work: Mentorship Program

Hall County student aims to prevent infection Mentor helps with MRSA brochure

Focus on passion! Honors Mentorship Directed Studies

Partnerships

Using GIS technology to investigate fossil samples

Art at

DVA o Integrated

into the curriculum for all!

o Advanced art instruction for those who are interested.

Chestnut Mountain Creative School of Inquiry

Standards taught through inquiry-based, thematic units. Teachers guide students to create questions based on their interest in the topic of study. Students research their questions, and present what they have learned to real audiences through creative products such as multi-media presentations, interactive displays, or through the use of Web 2.0 tools.

Advanced Scholars Academy Teachers design customized schedules and instruction to meet the needs of each student. Offering fluidity within and between grade levels, ASA provides instruction that challenges advanced students. ASA also provides flexible part-time enrollment for a limited number of home-schooled students.

I2 Partnership with Georgia Tech

Game-based learning

Culturally situated design tools that use underlying math principles to simulate sports, music and youth subculture (graffiti, dance)

Place-bound literary and historical experiences through locative media

Renaissance Academy for Creative Enterprises Integrated Curriculum “Your team represents a country under attack. You watch a video clip (made by students from a terrorist country with flip camera). Your country must determine what the biological weapon is and how to contain it. (Use ScopeCam and CDC database on real biological weapons.) Your country will meet with other countries through a simulated United Nations (using Skype) to form alliances, barter for supplies, determine military action, and calculate the spread of each biological agent. (Formal action plan put on Prezi, Inspiration or bubbl.us)”

This “game” simulates real-world problem solving through every discipline, using integrated technology in the most appropriate places.

RACE students complete authentic products that, over a 4-year program of study, culminate in a technology-based portfolio highlighting their high school education.

More examples of keeping students in their “element”

◦ Habitat High, Hospitality High, 5 Career Academy Businesses

◦ Four Schoolwide Enrichment Model schools ◦ STEM Elementary Charter ◦ Elementary

Arts Academy ◦ Multiple

Intelligences Charter

Charters, Magnets, and Programs of Choice Charter and Magnet Schools Programs of Choice

World Language Academy Three IB Diploma Programs

Sardis Enrichment School Da Vinci Academy

Wauka Mountain MI Academy Innovation Institute

McEver Arts Academy RACE

Spout Springs Enrichment School International Scholars Academy

Martin STEM Academy Navy JROTC

Lanier Charter Career Academy Habitat High

Creative School of Inquiry LCCA (Hospitality High and 6 student-run businesses)

Mt. Vernon Exploratory School EPiCC at East Hall HS

Chestatee Academy of Inquiry and Talent Development

Friendship Advanced Scholars Program

FBHS Global Studies and Leadership Academy Earhart-Edison Academy

Goal: Challenge Our Gifted Students Like Never Before AND Get MORE Students to the Top!

This is where YOU come in!

G G

Olympic Coaching Analogy

Could We Spark a Renaissance? This unique period in our history is an opportunity to lead.

NAGC’s Minds.Policies.Practices. strategic framework is a tool to help us focus on our collective goal of supporting all children with extraordinary gifts and talents to reach to achieve their personal best.

The Power of Affiliates

You know your state better than anyone else and know how the details need to be tailored to meet your unique needs and situations.

NAGC wants to support affiliate work through policies that advocate for the adoption of guidance, legislation, and practices that promote programs and services in which gifted and talented children will thrive.

Five Key Policy Areas Identification

Acceleration

Professional Development

Accountability

Robust, comprehensive state support

Sound policies support a healthy environment where quality practices can thrive

Strong practice does not happen without the hard, detailed, and intentional work of state affiliates and their local partners.

Practices component of NAGC’s strategic framework is to “empower supporters to implement effective practices for all gifted and talented children in homes, schools, and communities.”

Example: Professional Development

Here’s what we know: Critically important to empower educators through

professional Teachers receive minimal training in supporting the needs of

gifted children. State of the States Report: Only one of 50 states statutorily requires all teachers to receive training in gifted education from a separate course before beginning their classroom service.

Here’s what NAGC could do to help you: Develop a system of effective professional learning to support

adults in implementing practices that maximize the learning and personal development of gifted and talented children.

What If We Could Do This for You?

Identify high-leverage, evidence-based practices for professionals working with gifted students

Articulate learning progressions for professional growth

Establishing a digital badging system aligned to the learning progressions and implement micro-credentialing

Developing professional learning tracks such as: Online sessions Online courses Live events (NAGC convention) Services within school districts, e.g., comprehensive

implementation support

A Personal Example

GAGC’s role in changing state law and State Board of Education Rule related to identification of gifted students

History (1989-1997)

The NRC/GT research team piloted alternative identification procedures for disadvantaged and limited English proficient students in six GA school districts.

120 ED and LEP students were placed in gifted programs under a waiver from the SBOE and followed for five years.

Armed with the success of the NRC/GT study, and growing impatient with the GA DOE’s refusal to make changes in our eligibility rule, GAGC leaders decided to do an “end run” -- by-pass the DOE and change state law!

January 1997 – Delayed over and over by a lack of support from the DOE, the multiple-criteria eligibility rule was implemented.

30

What did we learn? Partner with others to capitalize on their expertise.

(Model legislation would have been VERY helpful!)

Develop and nurture varied groups.

Build strong parent support groups and teach participants about advocacy.

Make sure there is a regular gifted email bulletin, blog, website, and Facebook page for parents to receive information.

Commit for the long haul!

It’s All About Relationships!

Policymakers are generally nice, committed people. Policymakers NEED your expertise. Bring concrete solutions. (They expect

you to complain.) Vast majority will LISTEN to your input.

It’s All About Relationships!

• People will work with you if you have value to them.

• Once you prove value, it becomes a personal relationship.

• Successful policy leaders compromise.

• Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Where To Start

If your state organization could change one thing that would ensure quality gifted education services for gifted students in your state, what would it be? What is powerful and doable?

Your Point of Leverage?

State

District

School

Classroom

Parent

Student

Questions? Closing Observations?

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. (Arthur Ashe)