Don’t panic! Before getting involved with gifted children, the only thing I knew about legislature was that it started with the little word leg. I found that the beginning of the word was the most important part. To be a legislative advocate for your child, you must be willing to take a stand and do the “leg” work.
Parents must be aware of laws regulating special education. It is parent advocates that introduce and eventually persuade legislators to create laws for gifted children. Research reveals that personal letters and telegrams citing personal circumstances and urging passage of bills have influenced decisions of legislators. Special funds are attained and bills are prepared as a direct result of concerned parents.
Erhlich, a noted researcher in the gifted community, reveals that gifted parents yield to easily to government, accepting the excuses that other problems are more urgent. The fact remains that society’s progress depends on the talents of the gifted. Parents acting as advocates are actually insuring progress and development for society. More and more parents of the gifted are insisting that their children have special needs and are entitled to equal opportunities to realize their potential.
Erhlich and I agree that parents should be aware of some key legislative elements.
DEFINITION All legislation must define or describe its target population. Make sure gifted is specific.
IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA The important factors to keep in mind are that all criteria must have some proven, demonstrated reliability (results) and validity (proven purpose). Exactly who is the designated population is and how they were chosen. Be very careful of generalities.
MONEY You will need to know how much money, if any, the legislation authorizes and the limitations placed on it.
ELIGIBILITY Find out who is eligible to receive the money and under what conditions. If the money is designated for teacher education, find out exactly how your child stands to benefit.
PERIOD of FUNDING Find out when the funding becomes available and for how long.
IMPACT ON YOUR COMMUNITY Know how your community is affected by the legislation.
INCLUSION OF TRIGGER CLAUSES Look for “trigger clauses that can insure that at least some money will reach the maximum eligible population. This is especially important to rural families.
EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT Know who will be in charge of the program.
PRACTICALITY Many bills have been slowed down because no one thought the problem through the actual implementation stages. If the bill seems confusing to you, chances are it will not be implemented.
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