THE AT-RISK GIFTED STUDENT THE AT-RISK GIFTED STUDENT FRIDAY NOV. 20, 2009

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What it is? Definitions of Underachievement Reis and McCoach (2000): a discrepancy between ability and performance McCoach and Siegle (2003): students who come to school without books or homework, students who appear to choose not to study for exams, students who seem unfazed by parents and teachers pleas that their grades now will affect the rest of their professional lives.

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What it is? Questions: Is a student who is excelling in one area but failing in another at-risk? Is a student who is underachieving at school but excelling in an extra-curricular activity at-risk? Is a gifted student who is passing grade level classes at-risk? Are we using the right measures?

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Who it is? Statistics Seeley (1993): Nationwide, it is estimated that 15-40% of identified gifted students are at-risk for school failure or significant underachievement. Peterson and Colangelo (1996): Some researchers have estimated that the percentage of students with high ability who do not achieve well is as high as 50%. Time Magazine (2007): Gifted students drop out of school at the same rate as non-gifted youngstersabout 5%. 1/5 of dropouts test in the gifted range.

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Who it is? Groups Girls: May be limited by stereotypes May see social disadvantages to being smart Boys: May underachieve at twice the rate of girls More prone to chronic underachievement (Peterson & Colangelo, 1996) Children in Poverty: Lack experiences Inhibited talents are not recognized

Groups Twice-Exceptional: Often receive services only related to their disability and not their giftedness Giftedness goes unrecognized Highly/Profoundly Gifted: Socialization takes precedence to advancement Expecting a child with an IQ of 160 to achieve at the same pace as a student with an IQ of 100 is the same as asking the child with a 100 IQ to achieve at the same pace of the child with an IQ of 40. (Time Magazine, 2007) "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Who it is?

Groups Gifted Minority Students: More likely to underachieve than white students (Ford, Grantham, Whiting, 2008) Achievement = Acting White Acting Black associated with behaviors that negatively effect achievement Affects African American boys more than girls "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Who it is?

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Profiles in Achievement

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whys it happening? The Cost of Achievement: Akeelah and the Bee: To Achieve or not to Achieve Achievement brings pressures Underachievement is a way of coping

A Dream Deferred What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Langston Hughes?

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whys it happening? Disturbing Events Chicago Murder Richmond High School Columbine Unabomber The Cost of Achievement:

The Call of the Street vs. the College Path "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whys it happening?

The Call of the Street vs. the College Path: The Call of the Street Immediate Gratification Immediate Recognition Adrenaline/Adventure "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whys it happening?

The Call of the Street vs. the College Path "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whys it happening? The College Path A-G Requirements Rigorous Coursework PSAT, SAT, (and later on: GMAT, LSAT, MCAT) 17+ Years of your life (K-Bachelors) Thousands of dollars in cost Delayed Rewards: Global Competition Debt

The Garden of Love I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen: A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green. And the gates of this Chapel were shut, And "Thou shalt not" writ over the door; So I turned to the Garden of Love, That so many sweet flowers bore; And I saw it was filled with graves, And tombstones where flowers should be; And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, And binding with briers my joys and desires. "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Langston Hughes?

"AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whats Causing it? Educational Priorities Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) IDEA vs. Javitts The Bar is Set at Proficient Tier 3 funding Grade Level Standards Intervention

Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma - Beelzebub, what a useful word! - by being left behind. The bright pupil thus remains democratically fettered to his own age group throughout his school career, and a boy who would be capable of tackling Aeschylus or Dante sits listening to his coeval's attempts to spell out A CAT SAT ON A MAT. C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Proposes a Toast "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: Whats Causing it? Educational Priorities

Suggestions for Gifted Advocates "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What can be Done? The 3 Rs Rigor: Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. Abigail Adams Relationship: Richard Mullen, 2009 Teacher of the Year Relevance: When I first saw Yosemite at 16, I was blown away. I didn't think it was possible to have a place like this. It changed how I saw nature and my place in nature. Mauricio Escobar, Park Ranger

Suggestions for Gifted Advocates Dont reward mediocrity: Its psychotic. They keep thinking of new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but if someone is genuinely exceptional… Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible Teach Persistence Its not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well. Rene Descartes "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What Can be Done

Focus on Effort not Intelligence Those congratulated for their intelligence…shied away from a challenging assignment…far more often than those applauded for their effort. Carol S. Dweck Encourage Reading The Ben Carson Story Expect More "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What Can be Done Suggestions for Gifted Advocates

Teach Entitlement Service Learning Mentoring "AT-RISK" GIFTED STUDENT: What Can be Done Suggestions for Gifted Advocates