Dropping the ball
Over the weekend I watched an interesting report on the Davidson Institute, founded by Bob and Jan Davidson (who made their mark with educational software). The goal of the Institute is to provide profoundly intelligent young people with the resources they need to succeed.
One of the parents interviewed for this news story made the point that her local school district just didn't have the resources to help her son (a 13 year old who's now already completed two years of college).
"I felt that the public school did all they could for us. I felt that they weren't particularly knowledgeable about how to deal with a child like Jacob," Alicja says.
And Jacob Komar isn't alone. Jan and Bob Davidson believe there are many more kids like him and that in this age of "No Child Left Behind," with all its focus on basic skills, they're the ones getting left behind.
Guess what? Young geniuses aren't the only ones getting left behind. So are gifted kids. So are kids like mine, who are doubly cursed -- they're gifted and they're learning disabled. So are "ordinary" kids. So are kids who are below the curve.
In short, the whole system sucks, from top to bottom.
The point the Davidsons make is that as important is that "no child be left behind," as it were, you should let the kids who can exceed expectations do exactly that.
"If you can soar, let 'em soar," he says. "We do it with basketball. Why can't we do it in academics?"
Amen.