Educating 2e Children

Posted by Douglas Parker Jan 17, 2008

For generations, it has seemed as if there have always been numerous agencies and organizations that supported children with learning disabilities. In 1975, the Federal Government enacted Public Law 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, which instructed each of the states to develop programs to meet the needs of all students with disabilities or face loss of funding. This was a major movement in developing the compensatory programs that all schools use to this day. The Law, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, informs the states about their roles in educating children with disabilities of all kinds. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million.”

While students with disabilities are protected under this Federal mandate, the same cannot be said for the gifted component of twice-exceptional children as there are no federal statutes that safeguard the civil rights of gifted children. Further, aside from some competitive grant money available through the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1994, the federal government does not fund gifted education. The most reliable academic resources for parents and teachers who are concerned about gifted education are their state and national gifted advocacy groups. On the national level, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is the umbrella organization for all of the groups. The NAGC’s basic mission is to, “support and develop policies and practices that encourage and respond to the diverse expressions of gifts and talents in children and youth from all cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic groups.”