Patricia Kimathi
Director, TLT Enrichment Educational Virtual Center
We believe that preparing gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) children for school success requires more than academic readiness. It requires collaboration among students, families, educators, schools, and communities to recognize children's strengths, understand their challenges, and provide appropriate support and opportunities.
This responsibility is especially important for gifted and 2e children from historically underserved and underrepresented communities, whose abilities may be overlooked, whose disabilities may mask their giftedness, and who may have unequal access to gifted identification, assessment, advanced learning, enrichment, and specialized services.
Gifted potential exists in every community, but access to opportunity does not.
We support a strength-based, whole-child approach to educating gifted and 2e students. Grades and test scores alone should not determine how a child's abilities or educational needs are understood. Gifted and 2e students may demonstrate advanced abilities while also experiencing challenges with executive functioning, attention, communication, self-regulation, organization, or learning disabilities.
Preparation for school should therefore address academic challenge, executive functioning, self-regulation, physical and emotional well-being, communication, self-advocacy, and a child's confidence and sense of belonging.
Students should also have a voice in their education. Reflecting on the previous school year and setting meaningful goals can help children identify their strengths, recognize challenges, and determine what support they need. Goals should address areas for growth while also providing opportunities for children to develop their interests, strengths, and talents.
Families possess valuable knowledge about their children's abilities, interests, experiences, and needs and should be recognized as essential educational partners. They need clear and accessible information about gifted identification, twice-exceptionality, assessment, accommodations, advanced coursework, enrichment, and available services.
However, the responsibility for obtaining an appropriate education cannot rest solely with families or depend on a parent's knowledge, time, financial resources, or ability to navigate educational systems.
Schools must actively recognize gifted potential across racial, cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and disability groups. Educators need professional development to recognize both the strengths and challenges of gifted and 2e students. Schools should also examine identification procedures and access to advanced educational opportunities for barriers that may contribute to the underrepresentation of historically underserved students.
We call upon families, educators, schools, gifted education organizations, and community organizations to work together to:
Recognize giftedness and talent across all communities.
Identify and support both the strengths and challenges of 2e students.
Include student voice and goal setting in educational planning.
Provide appropriate academic challenge and talent-development opportunities.
Recognize families as educational partners.
Improve educator preparation in giftedness, twice-exceptionality, and cultural responsiveness.
Remove barriers to identification, assessment, advanced learning, enrichment, and specialized services.
Preparing gifted and 2e children for school success is a shared responsibility. Children need opportunities to understand themselves, develop their strengths, communicate their needs, and advocate for themselves. Families need information and meaningful participation. Schools must recognize potential, provide appropriate challenge and support, and ensure equitable access to opportunities.
Gifted potential exists in every community. Opportunity must exist there as well.