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March 11, 2024 Dear Governor Cooper, On behalf of the Board of PAGE of Wake County and the gifted learners we serve, we write to express our deepest gratitude for your declaration of this week as Gifted and Talented Education Week in North Carolina. Your recognition of the vital role that our gifted students play in shaping the future of our state's workforce and economy underscores your unwavering commitment to the education and development of all our young people. We humbly request that the week become an annual tradition in North Carolina. Recent years have seen a concerning shift away from meeting the needs of academically and intellectually gifted learners, who come from diverse racial, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds. Factors such as the commendable and necessary focus on students struggling to meet grade-level minimum standards, dwindling resources for AIG teachers and specialists, and the closure of external supports like Duke TIP have left caregivers and educators of our brightest students in a difficult position. At PAGE, we observe firsthand the consequences of neglecting the unique needs of our intellectually gifted students. Without adequate challenge and support, these bright minds can quickly lose their passion for learning, ultimately hindering their full potential and future contributions to our state. Furthermore, the phenomenon of "Bright Flight" poses a significant threat to North Carolina's continued prosperity, as our most talented students may begin to seek opportunities elsewhere, just when our IT, biotechnology, aerospace, and other important local industries need us to prepare students for complex employment opportunities. It is imperative that we prioritize the retention and cultivation of these future innovators to ensure the continued success of North Carolina's economy. Thank you once again for your unwavering dedication to the educational success of all North Carolina students for the benefit of our great state. Sincerely, Crystal Whittenton, President Suzy Wang, Vice President PAGE of Wake County, Inc. info@wakepage.org www.wakepage.org PAGE of Wake County is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit volunteer-run organization of parents, teachers, gifted education experts, and other stakeholders interested in supporting and encouraging the development of gifted students. As local affiliates of the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented (NCAGT), PAGE chapters seek to promote an understanding of the characteristics and unique needs of gifted students and to foster local appropriate educational and social opportunities at home, school, and in the broader community. Each episode of the NCAGT podcast starts with this excellent summary that we’d like to share: “Too often the brightest students are bored and under-challenged in school. We’re not giving them a sufficient chance to thrive. Our nation’s education policies narrowly focus on the achievement gap for struggling learners, which is extremely problematic for the widening 'excellence gap' faced by high-ability students. Most regular classroom teachers do not receive adequate training to recognize and address the needs of high-ability learners. This is even more pronounced for children of color, English Language Learners, and children from low-income backgrounds. In addition, these teachers are under a prohibitive amount of pressure to close the achievement gap of their struggling students; while this is an important measure, it shouldn’t be at the expense of our gifted and talented students. Here at NCAGT, we believe that it is up to us, as parents, educators, and stakeholders to provide the gifted community the support that they rightfully deserve.”
If you're just now learning about the shocking changes proposed to educational funding and gifted program funding in North Carolina, you are probably thinking, "How can I prevent this?"
Contacting your representatives individually can make a big impact, as detailed in our last blog post. Organized advocacy can be even more impactful. To that end, PAGE is eager to form an advocacy committee to help positively influence educational policy affecting our students. Even if you feel you don't have expertise in this area, we urge you to join us. We so often hear from parents and educators who see what gifted students need and the ways that reduced resources harm our kiddos. We're waiting for someone to do something and realizing: we're the someones. Please join us, even if you only have a few minutes a month to spare. We'd love to have you, support you, and be your community! Volunteer - Details: https://www.wakepage.org/volunteer.html We would like to ensure you have seen the request relating to the proposed legislation in North Carolina relating to educational policy and funding (NC AGT is the parent organization for PAGE of Wake County)
https://tinyurl.com/attack-on-gifted-funding From the NC AGT post linked above: (This budget would result in:) "Elimination of entire programs and services from some communities (e.g., low-income, rural, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups). Entire districts could now receive $0 from the state for AIG. Reduction/elimination of talent development programs. If only the top 4% of students in the state are identified, then many currently identified students will be forced to be "degifted". There will be no funding to support services for them. Reduction of identified gifted students from 163,115 (April 2022) to 55,128 out of the 1.3 million students currently enrolled in NC schools" Other articles on this topic (with a broader focus on educational policy- not limited to gifted educational policy/ funding): https://governor.nc.gov/.../state-emergency-public... https://www.newsobserver.com/.../article275659111.html https://www.ednc.org/2023-01-23-nc-legislature-education.../ https://www.ncleg.gov/Com.../CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/166 Disagree with the proposed legislation? Please Act Now: Contact your legislator to:
Find your Representatives Senate Ed Committee (Standing) Senators By County Update: Governor Roy Cooper has declared that public education in the state of North Carolina is facing a state of emergency. Visit his website to learn more. Episode 14 summary: Stephanie Higgs is a passionate, energetic, and engaging Gifted Educator and Differentiation Coach. She divides her time between daily gifted instruction and coaching teachers to enrich and extend learning to meet the needs of their diverse learners. In this episode, we discuss numerous “bite-sized bits” that teachers can take and use within their classrooms. Check it out here: https://rss.com/podcasts/ncagtpodcast/937666/
Thank you to annuity.org for giving PAGE permission to share this useful article! Teaching kids about money when they’re young lays the foundation for responsible money management later in life. Children whose parents emphasize the importance of financial literacy and encourage them to spend and save thoughtfully develop a healthy perspective on money.
It’s never too early to begin teaching your kids about money. But doing so is not as straightforward as you might assume. Some parents don’t feel confident enough in their own knowledge of financial matters to be comfortable teaching their kids about money. Others believe it’s inappropriate to burden young children with conversations about money or think, mistakenly, that children are too young to understand financial concepts. In fact, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison studied the behaviors and attitudes of fourth and fifth graders who were exposed to financial education and concluded that “younger students can learn financial topics and that learning is associated with improved attitudes and behaviors which, if sustained, may result in increased financial capability later in life.” Beth Koblinger, author of the New York Times bestseller “Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not),” wrote an article for NPR’s Making Sen$e, in which she described her encounters with parents of all economic backgrounds during a recent book tour. She realized that all parents, whether very wealthy or middle-income earners, had the same questions:
Click here to read the rest of the article on annuity.org!
We invite you to fill out our poll seeking opinions, ideas, and all things Super Saturday. We are hoping to re-start these sessions (which have been paused since COVID hit) and we're eager to get going again. Your opinion is invaluable in ensuring the sessions are just the right fit.
CLICK TO FILL OUT POLL (Depending on your device, this may appear incorrectly on a phone or directly embedded in the blog.) Direct link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeymxQ7nKuae0CQZwqC0qUSB_twiYAaEkEyf3WXSL1DHcuWkw/viewform?usp=share_link ​ As an educator or parent, you're always looking for ways to help your children develop essential skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. That's why we're recommending educators check out Lead4Change.
It's a free leadership program for 6th-12th graders that teaches proven leadership skills for getting big things done. This program equips students with practical tools to affect change and make a difference, and even offers a chance to win real dollars for your school. While PAGE of Wake County is not affiliated with Lead4Change, we encourage you to visit their website at https://new.lead4change.org/ to learn more about this opportunity for students to unlock their leadership potential. |
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