Gifted Atlanta

In gifted education, it’s on the local level that the rubber meets the road. But the federal government does have one program that supports gifted ed. Sadly, that one program is in jeopardy.

The Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program sponsors research on gifted education. In the past, it’s been funded by Congress to the tune of anywhere from $7 million to $11 million per year. In the current budget passed by the U.S. Senate, however, all funding for Javits has been killed.

The U.S. House of Representatives can reverse this action by restoring funding to Javits. If you want to express your support of continuing Javits, you can contact your representative using an online form provided by the Council for Exceptional Children.

Separate from this but also related to federal support for gifted education, a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House that would provide local school districts with grants for programs aimed at closing the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged gifted and talented students. The Equity in Excellence Act (H.R. 5586) has been referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

If you’re interested in staying on top of legislative activity and communicating with lawmakers about the importance of gifted education, the National Association for Gifted Children has established a Legislative Action Network. Members of the network will be alerted to what’s going on in Congress and will be encouraged to keep in contact their local representatives. (Note: You don’t have to be an NAGC member to sign up.)