Talented Education Vs Gifted Education

Introduction: Gifted and talented students are often seen as a group that does not need any help, but they are as important as any other group of students in our schools. While there is not a uniform definition of gifted and talented students, generally, 2-10% of students in the United States could fall under this category, and are usually identified as having an IQ in the top 2-5% or scoring in the top 5-10% on standardized tests (Worrel, 2015, pg. 123). But, unlike other groups of students, gifted and talented students are usually not as funded as other groups of students. The total state and federal funding for gifted education in the United States was less than 0.15% of the entire education budget. Research shows there are several …show more content…
To receive funding for Race to the Top, schools would have to make sure their students are college and career ready plus support advanced coursework and career mentoring programs. While Race to the Top was not directed at gifted and talented students, the program was a step in the right direction in giving high-achieving students a chance to take on more rigorous mathematics and reading classes. Some states, like Florida and North Carolina, are implementing policies that help students, including gifted and talented students, receive Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and dual-enrolment programs that are partly paid though Race to the Top (Brown & Garland, 2015, pg. 93-94). Programs like this can benefit gifted and talented students, but it will take time to see if this has a noticeable effect on gifted and talented …show more content…
The only direct federal funding that supports gifted education is the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, or Javits Act of 1988. The focus of the act is “to help reduce the serious gap in achievement among certain groups of students at the highest levels of achievement.” Throughout the years, funding for the Javits Act was as high as $12 million, since the implication of NCLB, funding for the Javits Act decreased every year since 2002 (Plucker, Burroughs, & Song, 2010, pg. 24). Because of the Great Recession, the Javits Act had no funding between 2011 and 2013. It has only been in the past few years that the Javits Act has received any funding, increasing all the way to $12 million in 2016 (Jolly & Robbins, 2016, pg. 144). Even though the Javits Act is the most funded it has ever been, this is still the only federally funded program that focuses on gifted and talented