[Ohiogift] Gifted-ed programs stink

[Pat Naveau]

Perhaps, it would be more effective if we respond to John Rosemond's message 
with letters to the editor AND letters written directly to the local 
newspaper publishers to drop their subscription to this misleading advice 
column.   His column was also published in the Lima News on Sunday.   


This is the contact information for Rosemond, according to his website FAQs:

Q: How can I email John Rosemond to comment on one of his columns?
A: You will be able to go to the blog and Membership Site and post a 
comment.  John Rosemond and his staff of Leadership Parenting Coaches answer 
questions every week.   Also, you can send your comments and feedback on 
John’s columns to Our Feedback Email.
fqyyy at carolina.rr.com  (Email address link to respond to columns)
The Leadership Parenting Institute
1391-A East Garrison Blvd | Gastonia, NC 28054
T: 1.704.860.4711 |



Pat Naveau
Gifted Services Coordinator
Coldwater Exempted Village Schools
419.678.2611 x4309
Naveau.Pat at coldwatercavs.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Art Snyder <artsnyder44 at cs.com>
To: <Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:12:02 -0400
Subject: [Ohiogift] Gifted-ed programs stink


Friends:

Parenting columnist John Rosemond on June 10 addressed a reader question on 
a 9-year-old going into a fourth-grade gifted program. His short answer was 
that "I am unable to find any compelling research to the effect that these 
(gifted and talented) programs result in long-term intellectual or academic 
advantage. Their ultimate benefit, therefore, is questionable."

Well. Surely, Rosemond must be missing something with his dismissive 
commentary that basically says g/t programs stink.

Newspapers across the country ran the column. If you'd like to read the 
whole text, visit:
http://www.bradenton.com/2013/06/11/4562618/john-rosemond-june-11-2013-child.html 
(or read the pasted column tagged onto this message)

This is not the first time the influential Rosemond has taken g/t service to 
task. Other comments of his include these (colored variously, for ease of 
reading):
"Researchers have consistently found that by grade 3, one cannot tell the 
difference between children who came to first-grade knowing their ABC's, 
number facts, or even how to read, and kids of comparable ability who came 
as academic 'blank slates.' " 
"... if your daughter had a learning problem, it is unlikely she ever would 
have been identified as gifted and talented."
"It appears that the zeal to have one's child identified as gifted and 
talented and placed, therefore, on an advanced and accelerated track in 
school is misplaced. A newly released study finds that only 3 percent of 
gifted and talented children live up to their potential. The study's author, 
educational psychologist Joan Freeman, tracked 210 gifted children into 
adulthood and discovered that only 6 achieved a level of vocational success 
commensurate with their abilities. To what did Freeman attribute this 
underachievement? Over-involved, pushy parents who end up robbing their 
children of their childhoods. By all appearances, these kids are high 
achievers, but they are often not well-founded, especially when it comes to 
social skills."

Any comments on Rosemond? (His website unfortunately has little contact 
information for feedback, other than to buy his publications or to book him 
for a speaking engagement.)

Best wishes,
Art Snyder

========================================================================
Rosemond column for June 11, 2013:

Should child be pushed into gifted program?
Q: Our 9-year-old daughter is going to the fourth grade next school year. 
She loves school and has always done very well. She recently took a series 
of tests and we’ve learned that she qualifies for the gifted and talented 
program. When we told her, she became very upset and told us she doesn’t 
want to accept the promotion. We tried to explain the advantages, but she 
just became more upset. She says none of her friends are in the gifted 
program and she doesn’t want to be there either. The school counselor says 
we should not let her make the decision. What should we do?

A: In most cases, and especially at the elementary level, the programs in 
question are examples of what are known as “pull-out” programs. The 
children in GT programs attend regular classes and are then pulled out of 
class three to five times a week for enrichments of various sorts. I am 
unable to find any compelling research to the effect that these programs 
result in long-term intellectual or academic advantage. Their ultimate 
benefit, therefore, is questionable.

When my daughter, Amy, was in the fifth grade, she qualified as a GT 
student. My wife and I sat down with her, explained the short list of pros 
and cons, and allowed her to make the decision. She told us exactly what 
your daughter told you: Her friends were not in the program, so she didn’t 
want to be there either. The school was disappointed, but they got over it, 
and Amy went on to be an honors student at the University of North Carolina.

I speculate that your daughter doesn’t want the attention that would come 
from being pulled out of class by the GT teacher. She is concerned that her 
“special” status might not sit well with her friends. Unfortunately, her 
anxiety is probably warranted. Since the efficacy of such programs has not 
been demonstrated, since they are obviously not necessary to a successful 
life, however one might measure that, I’d say let your daughter make the 
decision.

“But what if she later regrets it?“

Good. Then she has to deal with the issue of personal responsibility, and 
she is not too young to have to do so. It is controlled exercises in 
decision-making of exactly this sort that cause children to become more 
far-sighted and weigh pros and cons rather than simply making decisions on 
the basis of feelings and impulses.

Regardless of outcome, being allowed to make decisions and learn from the 
mistakes that are inevitable to that process is an important part of growing 
up. In the emotional sense, it is the very thing of growing up.
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