Unverified rumors floating around indicate that there is some thought being given to amending 2261 to eliminate some programs, including HCP, from the definition of basic education. We must hold on to our place in basic education. Without it, there is little hope for continuation of state funding for HCP and without state funding, there go the district programs.

So, the foremost necessity is to educate legislators about the need for appropriate educational opportunities for children of high potential.

We have been asked for a rational for appropriate services for children of high potential. The following is quoted from Preparing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators: Identifying and Developing our Nation’s Human Capital, Introduction, page 5-6, The National Science Board. The complete report can be downloaded at http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/stem/

“The U.S. education system too frequently fails to identify and develop our most talented and motivated students who will become the next generation of innovators. Whether this group of students has access to appropriate resources seems to be an accident of birth—whether they are a part of a supportive and knowledgeable family or are residing in a community that has programs and opportunities available to them. There are students in every demographic and in every school district in the United States with enormous potential to become our future leaders and to define the leading edge of scientific discovery and technological innovation. Some of our Nation’s most talented students—perhaps through sheer individual will, good fortune, and circumstance—rise through the educational system and become leading contributors to the scientific workforce. Regrettably, far too many of our most able students are neither discovered nor developed … The possibility of reaching one’s potential should not be met with ambivalence, left to chance, or limited to those with financial means. Rather, the opportunity for excellence is a fundamental American value and should be afforded to all.

“Although many past and current educational reforms have focused on the vital goal of raising the general performance of all students, far fewer have focused on raising the ceiling of achievement for our Nation’s most talented and motivated students. The Board asserts that educational opportunity is not a zero-sum game: true equity means we must address the needs of all students. Mutually reinforcing results can be realized when we improve general educational performance as well as identify and stimulate potential leaders whose creativity and ideas can benefit all. The critical goal of increasing general scientific literacy does not compete with, but rather complements, today’s renewed clarion call for excellence.”

What does a basic education look like for a Highly Capable student? Here are two different approaches to an answer to this question. Choose the one you are most comfortable with.