It may seem astounding to most of us, but very few Members of Congress or their staff have previously been aware of the learning needs of gifted students. Achieving appropriate services for gifted learners is a long-term process. Because we need legislation of some type, we must persuade lawmakers that our kids have special educational needs that they won t do fine without adaptations. The process of educating lawmakers to that point can take some time. That well-organized effort took years and years before the federal government fully acknowledged the needs of these students via legislation.
Awareness always precedes action.
The process of educating Members of Congress on the Gifted and Talented Students Education Act is creating, at the highest policy making levels, a first time awareness that gifted children have special needs. Let s start out slowly and see what kind of benefits we can get from some federal funding for services. Like any new policy, it is incremental. See the Talking Points for additional reasons that the National Network of Families with Gifted Children is actively working for this legislation and are counting on you to do the same. In 1972 the Congress first adopted a federal definition of gifted and talented students, and between 1975 and 1981 the Congress intermittently provided some very limited funding for various gifted and talented programs.